First Regular Session

Sixty-first General Assembly

LLS NO. 97­0408.01 DLC HOUSE BILL 97­1070

STATE OF COLORADO

BY REPRESENTATIVE Gordon

STATE, VETERANS &

MILITARY AFFAIRS

A BILL FOR AN ACT

CONCERNING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE "FAIR CAMPAIGN PRACTICES ACT" RELATING TO EXPENDITURES BY CANDIDATE COMMITTEES.

Bill Summary

"Fair Campaign Practices Act"

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not necessarily reflect any amendments which may be subsequently adopted.)

Changes when a candidate must chose whether to accept voluntary spending limits from the time of registering a candidate committee to the time of filing a candidate affidavit.

Allows candidate committees to use unexpended contributions for defraying expenses related to mailings, reports, surveys, or other communications to constituents.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1.  1­45­105 (3), Colorado Revised Statutes, 1980 Repl. Vol., as amended, is amended to read:

1­45­105.  Voluntary campaign spending limits. (3)  Each state candidate who chooses to accept the applicable voluntary spending limit shall file a statement to that effect with the secretary of state at the time that the candidate registers a candidate committee pursuant to subsection 1­45­108 (3) FILES A CANDIDATE AFFIDAVIT PURSUANT TO SECTION 1­45­110 (1). Acceptance of the applicable voluntary spending limit shall be irrevocable except as set forth in subsection (4) of this section and shall subject the candidate to the penalties set forth in section 1­45­113 for exceeding the limit.

SECTION 2.  1­45­106 (1), Colorado Revised Statutes, 1980 Repl. Vol., as amended, is amended to read:

1­45­106.  Unexpended campaign contributions. (1) (a)  Unexpended contributions to a candidate committee may be contributed to a political party subject to the limitation set forth in subsection SECTION 1­45­104 (4), donated to a charitable organization recognized by the internal revenue service, returned to the contributors, or retained by the committee for use by the candidate in a subsequent campaign pursuant to the restrictions set forth in subsection (2) of this section. In no event shall contributions to a candidate committee be used for personal purposes not reasonably related to supporting the election of the candidate.

(b)  A CANDIDATE COMMITTEE MAY USE UNEXPENDED CONTRIBUTIONS TO DEFRAY REASONABLE AND NECESSARY EXPENSES RELATED TO MAILINGS, REPORTS, SURVEYS, OR OTHER COMMUNICATIONS TO CONSTITUENTS.