Bill Text: NJ A2137 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires all campaign contributions to be reported to ELEC.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-30 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State Government Committee [A2137 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2012-A2137-Introduced.html

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FISCAL NOTE

ASSEMBLY, No. 2137

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

215th LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: MAY 30, 2012

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:	Requires all campaign contributions to be reported to ELEC.
Type of Impact:	Expenditure increase:  State General Fund.
Agencies Affected:	Election Law Enforcement Commission, Department of Law and Public Safety.

 

 

Executive Estimate
Fiscal Impact	FY 2013	FY 2014	FY 2015
State Cost	$59,000	$61,000	$63,000

 

·        The Office of Legislative Services concurs with the Executive estimate, and assumes a July 2012 enactment of the bill with an effective date of January 1, 2013.

·        Requires a political committee, continuing political committee, legislative leadership committee, political party committee, candidate committee, or joint candidates committee to fully disclose to the Elections Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) all campaign contributions received in any amount.

·        Eliminates the exclusion from reporting to the ELEC certain information on campaign contributions received that do not exceed $300.

·        Increased costs reflect the salary for one additional report examiner, together with materials, supplies, and technical professional services that the ELEC estimates will be necessary to monitor and manage the increased workload.

 

 

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      Assembly Bill No. 2137 of 2012 requires full disclosure by all campaign committees to the ELEC of all campaign contributions that are received during the required reporting periods in accordance with "The New Jersey Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Reporting Act". Currently, the act does not require reporting to the ELEC the name, address, and other information relating to any contributor whose contributions during the reporting period did not exceed $300.  The bill eliminates this $300 threshold for disclosure of contributions received.

      The bill covers the reporting, in any report filed with the ELEC pursuant to the act, of campaign contributions received by a political committee, continuing political committee, legislative leadership committee, political party committee, candidate committee, or joint candidates committee in furtherance of the nomination, election or defeat of any candidate, or in aid of the passage or defeat of any public question, or for the provision of political information on any candidate or public question.

 

 

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

      The ELEC did not specify which fiscal years were utilized in the estimates.  Assuming a July 2012 enactment of the bill and an effective date of January 1, 2013, the ELEC estimates that the cost of implementation of these additional reporting requirements in FY 2013 will be $59,000.  The ELEC estimates that it will need one additional report examiner, starting at a salary of $44,000 per year to analyze and examine these additional reporting requirements by organizations and committees for campaign contributions received by them of $300 or less should this bill be enacted into law.  In FY 2014, the salary cost will rise to $46,000 and in FY 2015, the salary cost will rise to $48,000.  Other expenses would include $5,000 annually for materials and supplies for FY 2013, FY 2014, and FY 2015, and would include $10,000 annually for FY 2013, FY 2014, and FY 2015 to engage programmer and database consultants to upgrade software and filing systems to handle the increased reporting requirements.  The total overall costs for FY 2013 will be $59,000, total costs for FY 2014 will be $61,000, and total costs for FY 2015 will be $63,000.

 

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

      The Office of Legislative Services concurs with the Executive estimate, but assumes a July 2012 enactment of the bill with an effective date of January 1, 2013.  The Executive estimate did not specify which three fiscal years were utilized in its calculations.

 

 

Section:	State Government
Analyst:	Gail Gutmann Senior Counsel
Approved:	David J. Rosen Legislative Budget and Finance Officer

 

 

This fiscal note has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).