SENATE BILL No. 542

 

 

May 25, 2007, Introduced by Senators SWITALSKI and JACOBS and referred to the Committee on Campaign and Election Oversight.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1976 PA 388, entitled

 

"Michigan campaign finance act,"

 

by amending sections 18 and 36 (MCL 169.218 and 169.236), section

 

18 as amended by 2006 PA 89 and section 36 as amended by 1996 PA

 

590.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 18. (1) The secretary of state shall develop and

 

implement an electronic filing and internet disclosure system that

 

permits committees that are required to file statements or reports

 

under this act with the secretary of state and local units of

 

government that are required to transmit statements under section

 

36 to the secretary of state to file those statements or reports

 

electronically and that provides internet disclosure of

 


electronically filed statements or reports on a website.

 

     (2) The secretary of state shall offer each committee required

 

to file with the secretary of state the option of filing campaign

 

statements or reports electronically, as described in subsection

 

(1).

 

     (3) Beginning with the annual campaign statement due January

 

31, 2004, each Each committee required to file with the secretary

 

of state that received or expended $20,000.00 or more in the

 

preceding calendar year or expects to receive or expend $20,000.00

 

or more in the current calendar year shall electronically file all

 

statements and reports required under this act, as described in

 

subsection (1).

 

     (4) If a committee was is not required to file a campaign

 

statement under subsection (3) only because it did not meet and

 

does not expect to meet the applicable threshold thresholds of

 

receiving or expending $20,000.00 or more, but the committee later

 

reaches that threshold later in the calendar year, the committee

 

shall notify the secretary of state within 10 business days after

 

reaching that threshold and shall subsequently file electronically

 

all statements and reports required under this act.

 

     (5) The secretary of state shall permit a committee to

 

electronically file statements and reports required under this act,

 

as described in subsection (1), except an original statement of

 

organization, after the committee treasurer and, for a candidate

 

committee, the candidate has signed and filed a form designed by

 

the secretary of state to serve as the signature verifying the

 

accuracy and completeness of each statement or report filed

 


electronically.

 

     Sec. 36. (1) A candidate committee for a state elective office

 

or a judicial office shall file a copy of the campaign statement

 

required under this act with the secretary of state. The secretary

 

of state shall reproduce the copy and transmit the reproduction to

 

the clerk of the county of residence of the candidate.

 

     (2) A ballot question committee supporting or opposing a

 

statewide ballot question shall file a copy of the campaign

 

statement required under this act with the secretary of state and

 

with the clerk of the most populous county in the state. A ballot

 

question committee supporting or opposing a ballot question to be

 

voted upon in more than 1 county, but not statewide, shall file a

 

copy of the campaign statement required under this act with the

 

clerk of the county in which the greatest number of registered

 

voters eligible to vote on the ballot question reside. A ballot

 

question committee supporting or opposing a ballot question to be

 

voted upon within a single county shall file a copy of the campaign

 

statement required under this act only with the clerk of that

 

county.

 

     (3) A political party committee shall file a copy of the

 

campaign statement required under this act with the secretary of

 

state. The secretary of state shall reproduce a copy of the

 

campaign statement of a political party committee that is a county

 

committee and file the copy with the clerk of the county where the

 

county committee operates.

 

     (4) A committee supporting or opposing a candidate for local

 

elective office, if the office is to be voted on in more than 1

 


county but not statewide, shall file a copy of the campaign

 

statement required under this act with the clerk of the county in

 

which the greatest number of registered voters eligible to vote on

 

the office reside.

 

     (5) A committee not covered under subsection (1), (2), (3), or

 

(4) shall file a copy of the campaign statement required under this

 

act with the secretary of state, except that a committee reporting

 

contributions or expenditures for a candidate within only 1 county

 

shall file a statement only with the clerk of that county.

 

     (6) A local unit of government that receives copies of

 

campaign statements under this section shall make the statements

 

available for public inspection and reproduction during regular

 

business hours of the local unit of government. The local unit of

 

government shall make the statements available as soon as

 

practicable after receipt, but not later than the third business

 

day following the day on which they are received.

 

     (7) A local unit of government that receives a campaign

 

statement from a candidate for local elective office under this

 

section shall transmit the statement to the secretary of state so

 

that the secretary of state may disclose the statement on the

 

internet under section 18.