The Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance (BECF) published revised contribution limits for 2023 and 2024.

The per person limit to candidates for statewide office increased from $4,300 to $4,900 per election.

The per person limit for the Senate, House, and all other state and local offices increased from $1,600 to $1,800.

PAC limits to candidates for statewide office and for the House increased from $12,700 to $14,400 per election.

PAC limits to candidates for Senate increased from $25,400 to $28,800.

All other state and local office candidates receiving contributions from a PAC increased from $8,300 to $9,400 per election.

BECF adjusts contribution limits in January of each odd-numbered year based on the consumer price index.

The State Board of Elections published the new contribution limits summary sheet, which increases limits on January 1 of every odd-numbered year to reflect increases in inflation.

The amount corporations and labor organizations may contribute in each election cycle increased from $12,000 to $13,700 to any candidate committee; from $24,000 to $27,400 to any political party or legislative caucus committee; and from $24,000 to $27,400 to any PAC.

The amount an individual may contribute in each election cycle increased from $6,000 to $6,900 to any candidate committee; from $12,000 to $13,700 to any political party or legislative caucus committee; and from $12,000 to $13,700 to any PAC.

The amount PACs are limited to contributing to any candidate committee, political party committee, legislative caucus committee, or PAC each election cycle increased from $59,900 to $68,500.

Georgia’s 2021 Legislative session adjourned sine die on March 31.

Among the measures passed is Senate Bill 202, which was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp on March 25 and made sweeping changes to the State’s voting laws, including bans on mass mailings of unsolicited absentee ballot requests and polling places on buses among other changes.

Another controversial bill, Senate Bill 221, also passed and currently awaits gubernatorial approval.

Senate Bill 221 allows certain elected officials to chair and register PACs called a leadership committee which is not subject to the in-session contribution ban.

Further, contributions to and expenditures by these leadership committees are not subject to the state’s contribution limits.

Governor Kemp will have just over a month to consider action on Senate Bill 221, as well as, the other bills passed during the session.

The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office has increased contribution limits for the 2021-2022 election cycle.

Effective January 1, an individual may not contribute more than $5,300 per election cycle to a candidate committee for statewide office and legislative office. Additionally, an individual may not contribute more than $6,550 per election cycle to a candidate committee for district office, county office, town office, and city office.

Contribution limits for PACs have also increased. A PAC without Mega PAC status may not contribute more than $5,300 per election cycle to a candidate for statewide office. In contrast, a PAC with Mega PAC status may contribute $10,600 per election cycle to candidates for statewide and legislative office and $13,100 per election cycle to candidates for county, city, town, or district office.

Today, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) published its price index adjustments for expenditure limitations and the federal lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold.

The lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold has increased for 2020 from $18,700 to $19,000. This threshold amount is adjusted annually.

Federal law requires authorized committees of federal candidates, leadership political action committees (PACs), and political party committees to disclose contributions bundled by lobbyists and lobbyists’ PACs.

Additionally, the FEC published its adjusted Coordinated Party Expenditure Limits for political parties for 2020.

At the request of Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, and in consultation with the office of the Governor, the Idaho Office of the Secretary of State is extending the February 10 filing deadline for PACs and candidates under the Idaho Sunshine Laws to February 17, 2020.

Being the first report due under the new revisions of the Sunshine Law, various unanticipated issues have made achieving the deadline by midnight unlikely for some candidates and PACs.

The fines stipulated by the new laws will also be pushed back and not be assessed at this time.

Another contributing factor to the delayed deadline is for many in local and special district offices, this report represents their first time ever filing with the Office of the Secretary of State and many were not aware of the steps required to gain access to the state’s campaign finance filing system.

The Seattle City Council is considering legislation limiting the ability of Super PACs to spend unlimited amounts of money in Seattle elections.

Council Member Lorena González introduced the Clean Campaigns Act to reduce the amount of money Super PACs funnel into elections.

The proposed legislation would limit Super PACs from receiving more than $5,000 per year from any single individual or corporation.

The act would also block multinational corporations, defined as companies with more than one percent ownership from a single foreign national or more than five percent ownership from multiple foreign nationals, from spending money on local elections.

Another proposed change would require all political advertising outside of election years to follow similar reporting requirements to current rules for election advertisements.

The Clean Campaigns Act is currently being considered in council chambers and could see a full council vote as early as next week.

On December 12, an appeals court found Tennessee laws barring nonpartisan PACs from donating to candidates within 10 days of an election violate the state constitution and cannot stand.

The ruling from the Tennessee Court of Appeals reinforces an earlier judgment from Nashville Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle and will end the donation restriction facing nonpartisan PACs.

State campaign finance laws had created a 10-day blackout period when such PACs couldn’t give to a candidate, but PACs controlled by a political party could.

The group Tennesseans for Sensible Election Laws argued that the law created a double standard that unfairly penalized nonpartisan groups while giving political parties an advantage.

The Court of Appeals agreed with that argument, ruling against the state.

At a meeting of the Senate Campaign Finance Committee, Sen. Jeff Golden proposed new regulations that would place ceilings on the amount of money individuals and various types of political committees could give to candidates, campaigns, and one another.

Oregon is currently one of only a few states that has no campaign contribution limits.

Under this new proposal, individual donors would be limited to giving $2,000 per election for statewide races and $750 per election for House and Senate races.

Those same restrictions would apply to candidates contributing to other campaigns and multi-candidate committees, which would be similar to current special-interest PACs.

State political parties and committees associated with party members in the House or Senate could contribute up to $40,000 per election to statewide candidates and $15,000 per election to legislative candidates.

The same limits would also be applied to new small-donor committees. In exchange for being able to donate larger sums, those committees could only support a single candidate for a single election.

The committees could accept no more than $200 per election from individuals and many PACs.

In November 2020, Oregon voters will decide whether to modify the state’s constitution to explicitly allow campaign finance limits.

The Oregon Supreme Court is also considering whether to overturn a two-decade-old decision that struck down the state’s voter-approved campaign finance limits.

The court is considering the constitutionality of a 2016 ordinance passed by Multnomah County voters that places a $500 per person limit on campaign donations.

Given all that, lawmakers hope to have a framework ready should the legal landscape shift.

Gov. Kate Brown signed two campaign finance bills requiring more disclosures in Oregon elections.

House Bill 2716 requires advertisements supporting or opposing a candidate to disclose who funded them.

The bill also requires ads funded by non-candidate PACs to disclose the top five donors who have contributed at least $10,000 to those groups.

House Bill 2716 becomes effective December 3, 2020.

House Bill 2983 requires “dark money” groups to disclose their largest donors if they spend more than $100,000 on ads related to statewide races or races in cities or counties with at least 60,000 residents.

For legislative races and contests in smaller jurisdictions, the bill requires groups to disclose donors after spending at least $25,000 on ads.

House Bill 2983 became effective when signed by the governor.

The Elections Commission adopted legislative rules to enforce the provisions in Senate Bill 622.

Provisions include increasing campaign contribution limits and disclosure requirements for PACs and independent expenditure groups.

The commission worked on language to better clarify what committees and organizations are required to file contribution and spending disclosures.

It was also determined the law applies to organizations whose major or primary purpose is to influence the outcome of elections by spending money to support or oppose particular candidates or issues.

However, the law does not apply to other ballot issues such as referenda on proposed constitutional amendments.

The legislative rules will need to be approved by the full Legislature as part of its rule-making review process.

The process must happen during the 2020 regular session for the changes to go into effect before the 2020 elections.

Last week, Gov. Gary Herbert signed six bills amending the state’s campaign finance laws.

Updates include amended registration and reporting requirements for political action committees (PACs) and political issues committees (PICs).

Additionally, updates modify provisions relating to the statement of organization and naming requirements of a PAC.

Other changes include a provision banning PICs from contributing to PACs and clarifications on how to dissolve a PAC.

Regarding electioneering communications, House Bill 319 requires a person making an expenditure for certain advertisements relating to a ballot proposition to disclose the person’s identity in the advertisement.

All bills take effect on May 13, 2019.

Gov. Kristi Noem recently signed several campaign finance bills into law.

House Bill 1189 provides any person who is subject to a Class 2 misdemeanor for campaign finance violations up to seven days to cure the violations prior to having a charge brought against him or her.

House Bill 1092 clarifies reporting requirements for candidates.

House Bill 1143 states all political action committees established, financed, maintained, or controlled by the same person or entity are affiliated and share a single contribution limit both with respect to contributions made and contributions received.

Senate Bill 114 requires any contribution from a person who is an unemancipated minor to be deducted from the total contribution permitted by the unemancipated minor’s custodial parent or parents.

The bills become effective July 1.

Gov. Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 622 on March 27, with an effective date of June 7.

The bill increases campaign contribution limits allowing $2,800 to candidates, $5,000 to political action committees (PACs), and $10,000 to party committees. The current limits for each category are set at $1,000.

PACs will also be required to electronically file all independent expenditure reports and financial statements.

The bill also requires federal PACs who spend money on state elections to file disclosures with the Office of Secretary of the State.