(10 ILCS 5/9-8.5)
Sec. 9-8.5. Limitations on campaign contributions.
(a) It is unlawful for a political committee to accept contributions except as provided in this Section.
(b) During an election cycle, a candidate political committee may not accept contributions with an aggregate value over the following: (i) $5,000 from any individual, (ii) $10,000 from any corporation, labor organization, or association, or (iii) $50,000 from a candidate political committee or political action committee. A candidate political committee may accept contributions in any amount from a political party committee except during an election cycle in which the candidate seeks nomination at a primary election. During an election cycle in which the candidate seeks nomination at a primary election, a candidate political committee may not accept contributions from political party committees with an aggregate value over the following: (i) $200,000 for a candidate political committee established to support a candidate seeking nomination to statewide office, (ii) $125,000 for a candidate political committee established to support a candidate seeking nomination to the Senate, the Supreme Court or Appellate Court in the First Judicial District, or an office elected by all voters in a county with 1,000,000 or more residents, (iii) $75,000 for a candidate political committee established to support a candidate seeking nomination to the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court or Appellate Court for a Judicial District other than the First Judicial District, an office elected by all voters of a county of fewer than 1,000,000 residents, and municipal and county offices in Cook County other than those elected by all voters of Cook County, and (iv) $50,000 for a candidate political committee established to support the nomination of a candidate to any other office. A candidate political committee established to elect a candidate to the General Assembly may accept contributions from only one legislative caucus committee. A candidate political committee may not accept contributions from a ballot initiative committee or from an independent expenditure committee.
(c) During an election cycle, a political party committee may not accept contributions with an aggregate value over the following: (i) $10,000 from any individual, (ii) $20,000 from any corporation, labor organization, or association, or (iii) $50,000 from a political action committee. A political party committee may accept contributions in any amount from another political party committee or a candidate political committee, except as provided in subsection (c-5). Nothing in this Section shall limit the amounts that may be transferred between a political party committee established under subsection (a) of Section 7-8 of this Code and an affiliated federal political committee established under the Federal Election Code by the same political party. A political party committee may not accept contributions from a ballot initiative committee or from an independent expenditure committee. A political party committee established by a legislative caucus may not accept contributions from another political party committee established by a legislative caucus.
(c-5) During the period beginning on the date candidates may begin circulating petitions for a primary election and ending on the day of the primary election, a political party committee may not accept contributions with an aggregate value over $50,000 from a candidate political committee or political party committee. A political party committee may accept contributions in any amount from a candidate political committee or political party committee if the political party committee receiving the contribution filed a statement of nonparticipation in the primary as provided in subsection (c-10). The Task Force on Campaign Finance Reform shall study and make recommendations on the provisions of this subsection to the Governor and General Assembly by September 30, 2012. This subsection becomes inoperative on July 1, 2013 and thereafter no longer applies.
(c-10) A political party committee that does not intend to make contributions to candidates to be nominated at a general primary election or consolidated primary election may file a Statement of Nonparticipation in a Primary Election with the Board. The Statement of Nonparticipation shall include a verification signed by the chairperson and treasurer of the committee that (i) the committee will not make contributions or coordinated expenditures in support of or opposition to a candidate or candidates to be nominated at the general primary election or consolidated primary election (select one) to be held on (insert date), (ii) the political party committee may accept unlimited contributions from candidate political committees and political party committees, provided that the political party committee does not make contributions to a candidate or candidates to be nominated at the primary election, and (iii) failure to abide by these requirements shall deem the political party committee in violation of this Article and subject the committee to a fine of no more than 150% of the total contributions or coordinated expenditures made by the committee in violation of this Article. This subsection becomes inoperative on July 1, 2013 and thereafter no longer applies.
(d) During an election cycle, a political action committee may not accept contributions with an aggregate value over the following: (i) $10,000 from any individual, (ii) $20,000 from any corporation, labor organization, political party committee, or association, or (iii) $50,000 from a political action committee or candidate political committee. A political action committee may not accept contributions from a ballot initiative committee or from an independent expenditure committee.
(e) A ballot initiative committee may accept contributions in any amount from any source, provided that the committee files the document required by Section 9-3 of this Article and files the disclosure reports required by the provisions of this Article.
(e-5) An independent expenditure committee may accept contributions in any amount from any source, provided that the committee files the document required by Section 9-3 of this Article and files the disclosure reports required by the provisions of this Article.
(f) Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a political committee from dividing the proceeds of joint fundraising efforts; provided that no political committee may receive more than the limit from any one contributor, and provided that an independent expenditure committee may not conduct joint fundraising efforts with a candidate political committee or a political party committee.
(g) On January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the State Board of Elections shall adjust the amounts of the contribution limitations established in this Section for inflation as determined by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers as issued by the United States Department of Labor and rounded to the nearest $100. The State Board shall publish this information on its official website.
(h) Self-funding candidates. If a public official, a candidate, or the public official's or candidate's immediate family contributes or loans to the public official's or candidate's political committee or to other political committees that transfer funds to the public official's or candidate's political committee or makes independent expenditures for the benefit of the public official's or candidate's campaign during the 12 months prior to an election in an aggregate amount of more than (i) $250,000 for statewide office or (ii) $100,000 for all other elective offices, then the public official or candidate shall file with the State Board of Elections, within one day, a Notification of Self-funding that shall detail each contribution or loan made by the public official, the candidate, or the public official's or candidate's immediate family. Within 2 business days after the filing of a Notification of Self-funding, the notification shall be posted on the Board's website and the Board shall give official notice of the filing to each candidate for the same office as the public official or candidate making the filing, including the public official or candidate filing the Notification of Self-funding. Notice shall be sent via first class mail to the candidate and the treasurer of the candidate's committee. Notice shall also be sent by e-mail to the candidate and the treasurer of the candidate's committee if the candidate and the treasurer, as applicable, have provided the Board with an e-mail address. Upon posting of the notice on the Board's website, all candidates for that office, including the public official or candidate who filed a Notification of Self-funding, shall be permitted to accept contributions in excess of any contribution limits imposed by subsection (b). If a public official or candidate filed a Notification of Self-funding during an election cycle that includes a general primary election or consolidated primary election and that public official or candidate is nominated, all candidates for that office, including the nominee who filed the notification of self-funding, shall be permitted to accept contributions in excess of any contribution limit imposed by subsection (b) for the subsequent election cycle. For the purposes of this subsection, "immediate family" means the spouse, parent, or child of a public official or candidate.
(h-5) If a natural person or independent expenditure committee makes independent expenditures in support of or in opposition to the campaign of a particular public official or candidate in an aggregate amount of more than (i) $250,000 for statewide office or (ii) $100,000 for all other elective offices in an election cycle, as reported in a written disclosure filed under subsection (a) of Section 9-8.6 or subsection (e-5) of Section 9-10, then the State Board of Elections shall, within 2 business days after the filing of the disclosure, post the disclosure on the Board's website and give official notice of the disclosure to each candidate for the same office as the public official or candidate for whose benefit or detriment the natural person or independent expenditure committee made independent expenditures. Upon posting of the notice on the Board's website, all candidates for that office in that election, including the public official or candidate for whose benefit or detriment the natural person or independent expenditure committee made independent expenditures, shall be permitted to accept contributions in excess of any contribution limits imposed by subsection (b).
(h-10) If the State Board of Elections receives notification or determines that a natural person or persons, an independent expenditure committee or committees, or combination thereof has made independent expenditures in support of or in opposition to the campaign of a particular public official or candidate in an aggregate amount of more than (i) $250,000 for statewide office or (ii) $100,000 for all other elective offices in an election cycle, then the Board shall, within 2 business days after discovering the independent expenditures that, in the aggregate, exceed the threshold set forth in (i) and (ii) of this subsection, post notice of this fact on the Board's website and give official notice to each candidate for the same office as the public official or candidate for whose benefit or detriment the independent expenditures were made. Notice shall be sent via first class mail to the candidate and the treasurer of the candidate's committee. Notice shall also be sent by e-mail to the candidate and the treasurer of the candidate's committee if the candidate and the treasurer, as applicable, have provided the Board with an e-mail address. Upon posting of the notice on the Board's website, all candidates of that office in that election, including the public official or candidate for whose benefit or detriment the independent expenditures were made, may accept contributions in excess of any contribution limits imposed by subsection (b).
(i) For the purposes of this Section, a corporation, labor organization, association, or a political action committee established by a corporation, labor organization, or association may act as a conduit in facilitating the delivery to a political action committee of contributions made through dues, levies, or similar assessments and the political action committee may report the contributions in the aggregate, provided that: (i) contributions made through dues, levies, or similar assessments paid by any natural person, corporation, labor organization, or association in a calendar year may not exceed the limits set forth in this Section; (ii) the corporation, labor organization, association, or a political action committee established by a corporation, labor organization, or association facilitating the delivery of contributions maintains a list of natural persons, corporations, labor organizations, and associations that paid the dues, levies, or similar assessments from which the contributions comprising the aggregate amount derive; and (iii) contributions made through dues, levies, or similar assessments paid by any natural person, corporation, labor organization, or association that exceed $500 in a quarterly reporting period shall be itemized on the committee's quarterly report and may not be reported in the aggregate. A political action committee facilitating the delivery of contributions or receiving contributions shall disclose the amount of contributions made through dues delivered or received and the name of the corporation, labor organization, association, or political action committee delivering the contributions, if applicable. On January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the State Board of Elections shall adjust the amounts of the contribution limitations established in this subsection for inflation as determined by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers as issued by the United States Department of Labor and rounded to the nearest $100. The State Board shall publish this information on its official website.
(j) A political committee that receives a contribution or transfer in violation of this Section shall dispose of the contribution or transfer by returning the contribution or transfer, or an amount equal to the contribution or transfer, to the contributor or transferor or donating the contribution or transfer, or an amount equal to the contribution or transfer, to a charity. A contribution or transfer received in violation of this Section that is not disposed of as provided in this subsection within 30 days after the Board sends notification to the political committee of the excess contribution by certified mail shall escheat to the General Revenue Fund and the political committee shall be deemed in violation of this Section and subject to a civil penalty not to exceed 150% of the total amount of the contribution.
(k) For the purposes of this Section, "statewide office" means the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer.
(l) This Section is repealed if and when the United States Supreme Court invalidates contribution limits on committees formed to assist candidates, political parties, corporations, associations, or labor organizations established by or pursuant to federal law.
(Source: P.A. 97-766, eff. 7-6-12; 98-115, eff. 7-29-13.)
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Last modified: February 18, 2015