Bill Text: MI SB0714 | 2017-2018 | 99th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Campaign finance; contributions and expenditures; acceptance of certain contributions by judge or justice; prohibit. Amends 1976 PA 388 (MCL 169.201 - 169.282) by adding sec. 30a.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-12-12 - Referred To Committee On Elections And Government Reform [SB0714 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2017-SB0714-Introduced.html
SENATE BILL No. 714
December 12, 2017, Introduced by Senator CASPERSON and referred to the Committee on Elections and Government Reform.
A bill to amend 1976 PA 388, entitled
"Michigan campaign finance act,"
(MCL 169.201 to 169.282) by adding section 30a.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 30a. (1) A person shall not make a contribution to a
committee of a judge or supreme court justice if that person is a
party to an action or other legal matter pending before that judge
or justice.
(2) An independent committee or a political committee shall
not make a contribution to a committee of a judge or supreme court
justice if that independent or political committee is primarily
funded by members of a limited liability company and either of the
following is true:
(a) The limited liability company is a party to an action or
other legal matter pending before that judge or justice.
(b) An officer, director, or manager of the limited liability
company is a party to an action or other legal matter pending
before that judge or justice that relates in any way to that
party's conduct as an officer, director, or manager of that limited
liability company.
(3) For purposes of this section, an independent committee or
political committee is primarily funded by members of a limited
liability company if members of the limited liability company
contributed 50% or more of the total amount of contributions to the
independent committee or political committee during the 1-year
period before the date of a contribution prohibited by this
section.
(4) An independent committee or political committee shall
include with a contribution to a committee of a judge or supreme
court justice a written statement indicating whether that
contributing committee is primarily funded by members of a limited
liability company. If the contributing committee is primarily
funded by members of a limited liability company, the contributing
committee shall disclose in the written statement the name and
address of the limited liability company.
(5) A committee of an incumbent judge or supreme court justice
shall not accept a contribution from any of the following:
(a) A person prohibited from making a contribution under
subsection (1).
(b) An independent or political committee prohibited from
making a contribution under subsection (2).
(c) An independent or political committee without a written
statement required under subsection (4).
(6) A person that violates subsection (1) is guilty of a
misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than 3 times the
amount of the prohibited contribution or imprisonment for not more
than 1 year, or both.
(7) A person who authorizes a contribution by an independent
or political committee prohibited by subsection (2) is guilty of a
misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than 3 times the
amount of the prohibited contribution or imprisonment for not more
than 1 year, or both.
(8) An incumbent judge or supreme court justice whose
committee accepts a contribution prohibited by this section is
guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than 3
times the amount of the prohibited contribution or imprisonment for
not more than 1 year, or both. A committee is considered to have
accepted a contribution prohibited by this section if the committee
does not return the prohibited contribution to the contributor
within 7 days after receiving the contribution.
(9) The treasurer of a committee of an incumbent judge or
supreme court justice that accepts a contribution in violation of
this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not
more than 3 times the amount of the prohibited contribution or
imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both. A committee is
considered to have accepted a contribution prohibited by this
section if the committee does not return the prohibited
contribution to the contributor within 7 days after receiving the
contribution.
