Signed by Governor Kay Ivey

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires municipal candidates to file campaign finance reports electronically with the Secretary of State.

Highlights:

• Prohibits a candidate from expending any money in aid of his or her nomination or election except by contributing to the principal campaign committee designated by the candidate (Sec. 1.d).

• Requires the statement of organization to include all of the following (Sec. 17-5-5.b):

• The name and complete address of the committee;

• The identification of affiliated or connected organizations, if any;

• The purposes of the committee;

• The identification of the chair and treasurer;

• The identification of principal officers, including members of the finance committee;

• A description of the constitutional amendments or other propositions, if any, that the committee is supporting or opposing, and the identity, if known, of any candidate or elected official that the committee is supporting or opposing;

• A statement whether the committee is a continuing one, and if not, the expected termination or dissolution date; and

• The disposition of residual funds which will be made in the event of dissolution.

• Requires all filings to the Secretary of State under this law to be made electronically. Electronic filings will be available to the public on a searchable database maintained on the Secretary of State’s public website (Sec. 17-5-8.a).

• Exempts churches from the requirements of this law unless the church’s expenditures are used to influence the outcome of an election. Nothing in this law can require a church to disclose the identities, donations, or contributions of members of the church (Sec. 17-5-8.g).

• Establishes the Secretary of State has the following duties (Sec. 17-5-11):

• To accept and file all reports and statements, including amendments, required by this law to be filed with them and to accept any information voluntarily supplied that exceeds the requirements of this law;

• To make each statement and report filed by any principal campaign committee or political action committee or elected official available for public inspection and copying during regular office hours; and

• To furnish any forms to be used in complying with this law.

• Specifies the schedule of civil penalties as follows (Sec. 17-5-19.1.b):

• The lesser of $300 or 10 percent of the amount of contributions or expenditures not properly reported for a first offense in an election cycle;

• The lesser of $600 or 15 percent of the amount of contributions or expenditures not properly reported for a second offense in an election cycle;

• The lesser of $1,200 or 20 percent of the amount of contributions or expenditures not properly reported for a third or subsequent offense in an election cycle.

• Prohibits the failure to file a timely report from being considered an offense or subjected to a civil penalty so long as it is the first failure by that candidate or political action committee for the election cycle and the report is filed within 48 hours of the time it was due (Sec. 17-5-19.1.h).

• Authorizes any person upon whom a civil penalty has been imposed to seek a review of the penalty by filing a written notice with the Secretary of State no later than 14 days after the date on which notification of the imposition of the penalty was mailed to the person’s last known address (Sec. 17-5-19.2.a).

Full Bill Text