Relating to campaign finance, including expenditures, attribution statements, and reports, and making penalties applicable

This bill relates to campaign finance. The bill changes the definition of “contribution” to include, with respect to payments for services, payments made by any person other than a candidate or committee who receives the service. The bill adds coordinated expenditures, defined in the bill as a communication made in coordination with a candidate, to the definition of “contribution” if the coordinated expenditure is required to be reported to the Iowa ethics and campaign disclosure board (board). The bill excludes from the definition of “express advocacy” communications that encourage individuals to register to vote or to vote; that do not support or oppose a candidate or ballot issue; that is a news story, commentary, blog, or editorial; that is by a membership organization to its members, stockholders, or employees; or that the board determines by rule is not express advocacy. The bill lowers the minimum amount of money that an organization must accept or expend before being considered a political committee from $1,000 to $250. The bill adds a definition for “communication” that includes paid broadcasts, placements of internet content, printed advertisements, mailings, and printed materials. The bill also defines “electioneering communication” as a communication made within days of the commencement of voting in an election that is not express advocacy but which refers to one or more clearly identified candidate; depicts the name, image, likeness, or voice of a candidate; or refers to a political party, ballot issue, or a question submitted to voters at that election. “Electioneering communication” does not include a bona fide news story, commentary, blog, or editorial; a communication made by a membership organization to its members, stockholders, or employees; a commercial communication that depicts a candidate only in the candidate’s capacity as owner, operator, or employee of a business; a candidate debate forum or a promotion for a candidate debate forum; or a communication that the board determines by rule is not an electioneering communication. The bill changes the content required in a report filed by a permanent organization temporarily engaged in political activity. Such reports must include aggregate contributions made by each person who made a contribution to the organization, each loan received by the organization, the amount and nature of debts and obligations owed to the organization, proceeds that total less than $35 per person from mass collections made at fund-raising events, the total sum of contributions received for a particular candidate or committee, personal information of each person to whom an expenditure was made, personal information of each person who received a salary or reimbursement of expenses from the organization, the total sum of all expenditures made by the organization, personal information of each person to whom a loan was made, debts and obligations owed by the committee, and other information that may be required by the board by rule. Reports of expenditures for personal services in reports made by any entity must be itemized and detail the specific services provided. The bill also requires all reports submitted to the board to include the total sum of disbursements made. The bill requires a person making an electioneering communication to file a report with the board pursuant to rules of the board. Electioneering communications must also include attribution statements. By operation of law, a person who willfully violates a provision of the bill is guilty of a serious misdemeanor. A serious misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than one year and a fine of at least $315 but not more than $1,875.