Bill Text: NY A05894 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to uniform maximum contributions for all candidates regardless of position or office.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-04 - referred to election law [A05894 Detail]
Download: New_York-2011-A05894-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 5894 2011-2012 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y March 2, 2011 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. KAVANAGH, COLTON, STEVENSON -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to contribution limita- tions THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 14-114 of the election law, as 2 amended by chapter 79 of the laws of 1992, paragraphs a and b as amended 3 by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows: 4 1. [The following limitations apply to all contributions to candidates 5 for election to any public office or for nomination for any such office, 6 or for election to any party positions, and to all contributions to 7 political committees working directly or indirectly with any candidate 8 to aid or participate in such candidate's nomination or election, other 9 than any contributions to any party committee or constituted committee: 10 a. In any election for a public office to be voted on by the voters of 11 the entire state, or for nomination to any such office, no contributor 12 may make a contribution to any candidate or political committee, and no 13 candidate or political committee may accept any contribution from any 14 contributor, which is in the aggregate amount greater than: (i) in the 15 case of any nomination to public office, the product of the total number 16 of enrolled voters in the candidate's party in the state, excluding 17 voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.005, but such amount shall be 18 not less than four thousand dollars nor more than twelve thousand 19 dollars as increased or decreased by the cost of living adjustment 20 described in paragraph c of this subdivision, and (ii) in the case of 21 any election to a public office, twenty-five thousand dollars as 22 increased or decreased by the cost of living adjustment described in 23 paragraph c of this subdivision; provided however, that the maximum 24 amount which may be so contributed or accepted, in the aggregate, from EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00113-01-1 A. 5894 2 1 any candidate's child, parent, grandparent, brother and sister, and the 2 spouse of any such persons, shall not exceed in the case of any nomi- 3 nation to public office an amount equivalent to the product of the 4 number of enrolled voters in the candidate's party in the state, exclud- 5 ing voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.025, and in the case of 6 any election for a public office, an amount equivalent to the product of 7 the number of registered voters in the state excluding voters in inac- 8 tive status, multiplied by $.025. 9 b. In any other election for party position or for election to a 10 public office or for nomination for any such office, no contributor may 11 make a contribution to any candidate or political committee and no 12 candidate or political committee may accept any contribution from any 13 contributor, which is in the aggregate amount greater than: (i) in the 14 case of any election for party position, or for nomination to public 15 office, the product of the total number of enrolled voters in the candi- 16 date's party in the district in which he is a candidate, excluding 17 voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.05, and (ii) in the case of 18 any election for a public office, the product of the total number of 19 registered voters in the district, excluding voters in inactive status, 20 multiplied by $.05, however in the case of a nomination within the city 21 of New York for the office of mayor, public advocate or comptroller, 22 such amount shall be not less than four thousand dollars nor more than 23 twelve thousand dollars as increased or decreased by the cost of living 24 adjustment described in paragraph c of this subdivision; in the case of 25 an election within the city of New York for the office of mayor, public 26 advocate or comptroller, twenty-five thousand dollars as increased or 27 decreased by the cost of living adjustment described in paragraph c of 28 this subdivision; in the case of a nomination for state senator, four 29 thousand dollars as increased or decreased by the cost of living adjust- 30 ment described in paragraph c of this subdivision; in the case of an 31 election for state senator, six thousand two hundred fifty dollars as 32 increased or decreased by the cost of living adjustment described in 33 paragraph c of this subdivision; in the case of an election or nomi- 34 nation for a member of the assembly, twenty-five hundred dollars as 35 increased or decreased by the cost of living adjustment described in 36 paragraph c of this subdivision; but in no event shall any such maximum 37 exceed fifty thousand dollars or be less than one thousand dollars; 38 provided however, that the maximum amount which may be so contributed or 39 accepted, in the aggregate, from any candidate's child, parent, grand- 40 parent, brother and sister, and the spouse of any such persons, shall 41 not exceed in the case of any election for party position or nomination 42 for public office an amount equivalent to the number of enrolled voters 43 in the candidate's party in the district in which he is a candidate, 44 excluding voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.25 and in the case 45 of any election to public office, an amount equivalent to the number of 46 registered voters in the district, excluding voters in inactive status, 47 multiplied by $.25; or twelve hundred fifty dollars, whichever is great- 48 er, or in the case of a nomination or election of a state senator, twen- 49 ty thousand dollars, whichever is greater, or in the case of a nomi- 50 nation or election of a member of the assembly twelve thousand five 51 hundred dollars, whichever is greater, but in no event shall any such 52 maximum exceed one hundred thousand dollars.] A. NO CONTRIBUTOR MAY MAKE 53 A CONTRIBUTION TO ANY CANDIDATE FOR ELECTION TO ANY PUBLIC OFFICE OR FOR 54 NOMINATION FOR ANY SUCH OFFICE, OR FOR ELECTION TO ANY PARTY POSITIONS, 55 OR MAKE ANY CONTRIBUTION TO POLITICAL COMMITTEES WORKING DIRECTLY OR 56 INDIRECTLY WITH ANY CANDIDATE TO AID OR PARTICIPATE IN SUCH CANDIDATE'S A. 5894 3 1 NOMINATION OR ELECTION, AND NO CANDIDATE OR POLITICAL COMMITTEE MAY 2 ACCEPT ANY CONTRIBUTION FROM ANY CONTRIBUTOR, WHICH, IN THE AGGREGATE 3 AMOUNT, IS GREATER THAN TWO THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS, AS INCREASED 4 OR DECREASED BY THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH B 5 OF THIS SUBDIVISION. 6 [c.] B. At the beginning of each fourth calendar year, commencing in 7 nineteen hundred ninety-five, the state board shall determine the 8 percentage of the difference between the most recent available monthly 9 consumer price index for all urban consumers published by the United 10 States bureau of labor statistics and such consumer price index 11 published for the same month four years previously. The amount of each 12 contribution limit fixed in this subdivision shall be adjusted by the 13 amount of such percentage difference to the closest one hundred dollars 14 by the state board which, not later than the first day of February in 15 each such year, shall issue a regulation publishing the amount of each 16 such contribution limit. Each contribution limit as so adjusted shall be 17 the contribution limit in effect for any election held before the next 18 such adjustment. 19 S 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed- 20 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.