What's happening
This bill limits annual contributions for party headquarters and staff activities to $25,000 per contributor per year.
Why it matters
Closes a major loophole in campaign finance law. Previously, there was no cap on how much an individual could give to party committees for headquarters and staff activities, allowing extremely large donations that circumvented other contribution limits.
Reduces the influence of wealthy donors. By capping contributions at $25,000 per year per contributor for party headquarters and staffing, the bill aims to limit the disproportionate influence that a small number of high-dollar donors can have on party infrastructure and operations.
Encourages greater transparency and accountability. Segregating these funds in a separate account and setting clear limits makes it easier to track money intended for administrative purposes, helping to ensure compliance with campaign finance laws and reduce the risk of funds being diverted to support specific candidates.
Could impact party operations and fundraising strategies. Parties may need to adjust how they fundraise for operational expenses, potentially seeking a broader base of smaller donors rather than relying on a few very large contributors, affecting how parties structure and prioritize their fundraising efforts.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Limit Party Committee Donations
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to elections
- Referred to elections
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4164
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 6, 2017
Introduced by Sens. KRUEGER, ADDABBO, SERRANO, SQUADRON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the party committee and constituted committee exemption from contribution and receipt limits for monies received and expenditures made to maintain a permanent headquarters and staff
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 14-124 of the election law, as amended by section 1 of part B of chapter 286 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
3. The contribution and receipt limits of this article shall not apply to monies received and expenditures made by a party committee or constituted committee to maintain a permanent headquarters and staff and carry on ordinary activities which are not for the express purpose of promoting the candidacy of specific candidates; provided that such monies described in this subdivision shall be deposited in a segregated account; and provided further that contributions made for such activities to a party committee or constituted committee shall be limited to twenty-five thousand dollars in the aggregate from each contributor in each year.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05971-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the election law, in relation to the party committee and constituted committee exemption from contribution and receipt limits for monies received and expenditures made to maintain a permanent headquarters and staff
Purpose or general idea of bill
This bill would limit contributions to a so called "soft money" housekeeping political account to twenty-five thousand ($25,000) dollars. Under current law there is no limit on the amount of money a donor may contribute to such accounts.
Summary of specific provisions
Subdivision 3 of Election law section 14-124 is amended to limit contributions to a party committee to $25,000.
Justification
This bill amends the election law to prohibit unlimited campaign contributions to soft money political committee campaign accounts. Over the years the press has reported on the myriad of activities so called soft money is used to pay for that are not directly related to party building functions as the law was initially intended. This bill will set a limit for the first time in history on how much money can be contributed by any individual donor to soft money accounts to help prevent further abuse.
Fiscal implications
None to the state.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.