Bill Text: IL HB3606 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Election Code. Prohibits the use of a political committee's fund for the legal defense of a public official or candidate in connection with offenses involving or reflecting upon a public entity's officer or employee. Removes an obsolete reference to "other reporting organization".
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Failed) 2013-01-08 - Session Sine Die [HB3606 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2011-HB3606-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning elections.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Election Code is amended by changing Section | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | 9-8.10 as follows:
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6 | (10 ILCS 5/9-8.10)
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7 | Sec. 9-8.10. Use of political committee and other reporting | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | organization
funds.
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9 | (a) A political committee shall
not
make
expenditures:
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10 | (1) In violation of any law of the United States or of | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | this State.
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12 | (2) Clearly in excess of the fair market value of the | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | services,
materials, facilities,
or other things of value | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | received in exchange.
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15 | (3) For satisfaction or repayment of any debts other | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | than loans made to
the
committee or to the public official | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | or candidate on behalf of the committee or
repayment of | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | goods
and services purchased by the committee under a | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | credit
agreement. Nothing in this Section authorizes the | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | use of campaign funds to
repay personal loans. The | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | repayments shall be made by check written to the
person who | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | made the loan or credit agreement. The terms and conditions | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | of any
loan or credit agreement to a
committee shall be set |
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1 | forth in a written agreement, including but not limited
to | ||||||
2 | the
method and
amount of repayment, that shall be executed | ||||||
3 | by the chairman or treasurer of the
committee at the time | ||||||
4 | of the loan or credit agreement. The loan or agreement
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5 | shall also
set forth the rate of interest for the loan, if | ||||||
6 | any, which may not
substantially exceed the
prevailing | ||||||
7 | market interest rate at the time the agreement is executed.
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8 | (4) For the satisfaction or repayment of any debts or | ||||||
9 | for the payment of
any expenses relating to a personal | ||||||
10 | residence.
Campaign funds may not be used as collateral for | ||||||
11 | home mortgages.
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12 | (5) For clothing or personal laundry expenses, except | ||||||
13 | clothing items
rented by
the public official or candidate
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14 | for his or her own use exclusively for a specific | ||||||
15 | campaign-related event,
provided that
committees may | ||||||
16 | purchase costumes, novelty items, or other accessories | ||||||
17 | worn
primarily to
advertise the candidacy.
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18 | (6) For the travel expenses of
any person unless the | ||||||
19 | travel is necessary for fulfillment of political,
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20 | governmental, or public policy duties, activities, or | ||||||
21 | purposes.
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22 | (7) For membership or club dues charged by | ||||||
23 | organizations, clubs, or
facilities that
are primarily | ||||||
24 | engaged in providing health, exercise, or recreational | ||||||
25 | services;
provided,
however, that funds received under | ||||||
26 | this Article may be used to rent the clubs
or facilities
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1 | for a specific campaign-related event.
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2 | (8) In payment for anything of value or for | ||||||
3 | reimbursement of any
expenditure for
which any person has | ||||||
4 | been reimbursed by the State or any person.
For purposes of | ||||||
5 | this item (8), a per diem allowance is not a reimbursement.
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6 | (9) For the purchase of or installment payment for a | ||||||
7 | motor vehicle unless
the political committee can | ||||||
8 | demonstrate that purchase of a motor vehicle is
more | ||||||
9 | cost-effective than leasing a motor vehicle as permitted | ||||||
10 | under this item
(9). A political committee may lease or | ||||||
11 | purchase and insure, maintain, and
repair a motor vehicle | ||||||
12 | if the vehicle will be used primarily for campaign
purposes | ||||||
13 | or
for the performance of governmental duties. A committee
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14 | shall not make expenditures for use of the vehicle for | ||||||
15 | non-campaign or
non-governmental purposes. Persons using | ||||||
16 | vehicles not purchased or leased by a
political committee | ||||||
17 | may be reimbursed for actual mileage for the use of the
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18 | vehicle for campaign purposes or for the performance of | ||||||
19 | governmental duties.
The mileage reimbursements shall be | ||||||
20 | made at a rate not to exceed the standard
mileage rate | ||||||
21 | method for computation of business expenses under the | ||||||
22 | Internal
Revenue Code.
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23 | (10) Directly for an individual's tuition or other | ||||||
24 | educational expenses,
except for governmental or political | ||||||
25 | purposes directly related to a candidate's
or public | ||||||
26 | official's duties and responsibilities.
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1 | (11) For payments to a public official or candidate or | ||||||
2 | his or her
family member unless
for compensation for | ||||||
3 | services actually rendered by that person.
The provisions | ||||||
4 | of this item (11) do not apply to expenditures by a
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5 | political committee in an aggregate
amount not exceeding | ||||||
6 | the amount of funds reported to and certified by the State
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7 | Board or county clerk as available as of June 30, 1998, in | ||||||
8 | the semi-annual
report of
contributions and expenditures | ||||||
9 | filed by the
political committee for the period concluding | ||||||
10 | June 30, 1998.
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11 | (12) For the legal defense of a public official or | ||||||
12 | candidate. For the purposes of this item (12), "legal | ||||||
13 | defense" means the obtaining, providing, or financially | ||||||
14 | assisting with the obtaining or providing of legal counsel, | ||||||
15 | representation, services, advice, opinion, or guidance for | ||||||
16 | a public official or candidate in connection with: (i) an | ||||||
17 | offense involving fraud against a public entity, bribery of | ||||||
18 | an officer or employee of a public entity, official | ||||||
19 | misconduct, or inducement of an officer or employee of a | ||||||
20 | public entity to commit official misconduct; (ii) any other | ||||||
21 | infamous crime under State or federal law; or (iii) any | ||||||
22 | other offense that reflects upon the official's or | ||||||
23 | candidate's character, honesty, integrity, or ability to | ||||||
24 | qualify for or hold public office.
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25 | (b) The Board shall have the authority to investigate, upon
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26 | receipt of a verified complaint, violations of the provisions |
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1 | of this Section.
The Board may levy a fine
on any person who | ||||||
2 | knowingly makes expenditures in violation of this Section and
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3 | on any person who knowingly makes a malicious and false | ||||||
4 | accusation of a
violation of this Section.
The Board may act | ||||||
5 | under this subsection only upon the affirmative vote of at
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6 | least 5 of its members. The fine shall not
exceed $500 for each | ||||||
7 | expenditure of $500 or less and shall not exceed the
amount of | ||||||
8 | the
expenditure plus $500 for each expenditure greater than | ||||||
9 | $500. The Board shall
also
have the authority
to render rulings | ||||||
10 | and issue opinions relating to compliance with this
Section.
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11 | (c) Nothing in this Section prohibits the expenditure of | ||||||
12 | funds of a
political
committee controlled by an officeholder or | ||||||
13 | by a candidate to defray the customary and reasonable expenses | ||||||
14 | of an
officeholder in
connection with the performance of | ||||||
15 | governmental and public service functions.
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16 | (d) Nothing in this Section prohibits the funds of a | ||||||
17 | political committee which is controlled by a person convicted | ||||||
18 | of a violation of any of the offenses listed in subsection (a) | ||||||
19 | of Section 10 of the Public Corruption Profit Forfeiture Act | ||||||
20 | from being forfeited to the State under Section 15 of the | ||||||
21 | Public Corruption Profit Forfeiture Act. | ||||||
22 | (Source: P.A. 96-1019, eff. 1-1-11.)
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