House OKs campaign $$ bill — here’s what it does

By In the news
In: Uncategorized
Thursday March 7, 2024


By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Campaign Finance Reform measure HB 4024 passed the House 52 to 5.

Here are some highlights of how funding candidates will dramatically change under this bill:

.

• Makes the political committee organization, contribution limits, and complaint and penalty sections operative on January 1, 2027.

 

  • Prohibits a candidate or principal campaign committee of a state Representative, state Senator, circuit court judge, or district attorney from accepting aggregate contributions in excess of:

.—  $3,300 per election from a person;
—  $2,000 per election from a candidate committee;
— $5,000 per election cycle from a multicandidate political committee; o $15,000 per election from a political party committee;
—  $15,000 per election from a legislative caucus committee;
— $3,300 times four ($13,200) per election from a membership organization or membership organization political committee; and
—  $5 times the number of donors per election from a small donor political committee.

 

     • Prohibits a candidate or principal campaign committee for other state office from accepting aggregate contributions in excess of:
—  $3,300 per election from a person;
—  $2,000 per election cycle from a candidate committee;
— $5,000 per election cycle from a multicandidate political committee; o $30,000 per election from a political party committee;
—  $30,000 per election from a legislative caucus committee;
— $3,300 times eight ($26,400) per election from a membership organization or membership organization political committee; and
—  $10 times the number of donors per election from a small donor political committee.

  • Prohibits a multicandidate political committee from accepting aggregate contributions in excess of:

— $5,000 per election cycle from a person
—  $5,000 per year from a candidate committee;
— $5,000 per year from another multicandidate political committee; o $5,000 per election cycle from a political party committee;
—  $5,000 per year from a legislative caucus committee;
— $5,000 per year from a membership organization or membership organization political committee; and o $5,000 per year from a small donor political committee.

  • Prohibits a political party committee from accepting aggregate contributions in excess of:

— $10,000 per year from a person;
—  $5,000 per year from a candidate political committee;
— $15,000 per year from a multicandidate political committee;
— $15,000 per year from another political party committee;
— $15,000 per year from a legislative caucus committee;
— $10,000 per year from a membership organization or membership organization political committee; and
— $10,000 per year from a small donor political committee.

  • Prohibits a legislative caucus committee from accepting aggregate contributions in excess of: o $10,000 per year from a person;

—  $5,000 per year from a candidate committee;
— $15,000 per year from a multicandidate political committee; o $15,000 per year from a political party committee;
—  $15,000 per year from another legislative caucus committee;
— $10,000 per year from a membership organization or membership organization political committee; and
— $10,000 per year from a small donor political committee.

 

Requires placing notices on campaign communications (mailings, TV ads, etc)

  • Requires the four persons who have made the largest aggregate contributions of $10,000 or more, instead of five persons, to be named on a communication in support of or opposition to certain candidates that costs at least $10,000 for the entire placement of the communication and any substantially similar communications.
  • Requires an eligible communication by a candidate that has contributed more than $20,000 to their own campaign to include a statement indicating that the candidate has contributed more than $20,000 to their own campaign.
  • Requires a communication in support of or in opposition to a clearly identified candidate that costs at least $10,000 to include an electronic, printed, or aural link to ORESTAR that identifies the original source of the funds for the expenditure.

 

Measure blocks people from cheating the system

  • Makes a candidate seeking a minor party nomination considered to be participating in the primary election for the purposes of the contribution limits.
  • Prohibits a person from controlling more than one of each type of political committee at one time and prohibits a person who controls both a small donor political committee and another political committee from splitting an individual’s contribution unless requested by the individual in writing.
  • Prohibits a person from establishing an entity for the purpose of obscuring the original source of funds used to pay for candidate campaign independent expenditures or for evading the contribution limits or disclosure requirements, and clarifies prohibitions around making a contribution or donation under false names.
  • Prohibits a major or minor political party from forming more than one political party multicandidate committee.

 

Miscellaneous rules

  • Prohibits a small donor political committee from accepting contributions in excess of $250 per year from an individual, and prohibits contributions from a candidate committee, multicandidate political committee, political party committee, legislative caucus committee, a membership organization, or another small donor political committee. Makes the number of unique individuals who have donated funds during the election cycle the number of donors to a small donor political committee.
  • Allows a membership organization to accept unlimited donations from a person and another membership organization or membership organization political committee, but prohibits donations from a candidate committee, multicandidate political committee, political party committee, legislative caucus committee, or another small donor political committee.
  • Requires a political committee to identify in the statement submitted to SOS whether it will operate as a measure political committee, multicandidate political committee, political party multicandidate committee, legislative caucus committee, membership organization political committee, recall political committee, or small donor political committee, and defines these committees.
  • Allows political committee to reorganize as a small donor political committee until March 31, 2027, if 90 percent or more of the contributions received in the previous 24-month period were by individuals in amounts not exceeding $250 per calendar year.

 

.

 

Share