Minnesota Statutes 10A.273 – Contributions and Solicitations During Legislative Session
Subdivision 1.Contributions during legislative session.
(a) A candidate for the legislature or for constitutional office, the candidate’s principal campaign committee, or a political committee or party unit established by all or a part of the party organization within a house of the legislature, must not solicit or accept a contribution from a registered lobbyist, political committee, political fund, or an association not registered with the board during a regular session of the legislature.
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 10A.273
- Association: means a group of two or more persons, who are not all members of an immediate family, acting in concert. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Board: means the state Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Candidate: means an individual who seeks nomination or election as a state constitutional officer, legislator, or judge. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Contribution: includes a loan or advance of credit to a political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, local candidate, or party unit, if the loan or advance of credit is: (1) forgiven; or (2) repaid by an individual or an association other than the political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, local candidate, or party unit to which the loan or advance of credit was made. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Election: means a primary, special primary, general, or special election. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
- Lobbyist: means an individual:
(1) engaged for pay or other consideration of more than $3,000 from all sources in any year:
(i) for the purpose of attempting to influence legislative or administrative action, or the official action of a political subdivision, by communicating or urging others to communicate with public or local officials; or
(ii) from a business whose primary source of revenue is derived from facilitating government relations or government affairs services if the individual's job duties include offering direct or indirect consulting or advice that helps the business provide those services to clients; or
(2) who spends more than $3,000 of the individual's personal funds, not including the individual's own traveling expenses and membership dues, in any year for the purpose of attempting to influence legislative or administrative action, or the official action of a political subdivision, by communicating or urging others to communicate with public or local officials. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- party unit: means the state committee, the party organization within a house of the legislature, or any other party organization designated by the chair of the political party in an annual certification of party units provided to the board. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Person: means an individual, an association, a political subdivision, or a public higher education system. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Political committee: means an association whose major purpose is to influence the nomination or election of one or more candidates or local candidates or to promote or defeat a ballot question, other than a principal campaign committee, local candidate, or a political party unit. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Political fund: means an accumulation of dues or voluntary contributions by an association other than a political committee, principal campaign committee, or party unit, if the accumulation is collected or expended to influence the nomination or election of one or more candidates or local candidates or to promote or defeat a ballot question. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Political party: means a major political party or a minor political party. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Principal: means an individual or association that:
(1) spends more than $500 in the aggregate in any calendar year to engage a lobbyist, compensate a lobbyist, or authorize the expenditure of money by a lobbyist; or
(2) is not included in clause (1) and spends a total of at least $50,000 in any calendar year on efforts to influence legislative action, administrative action, or the official action of metropolitan governmental units, as described in section 10A. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Principal campaign committee: means a principal campaign committee formed under section 10A. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
- state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
(b) A registered lobbyist, political committee, political fund, or an association not registered with the board must not make a contribution to a candidate for the legislature or for constitutional office, the candidate’s principal campaign committee, or a political committee or party unit established by all or a part of the party organization within a house of the legislature during a regular session of the legislature.
(c) Regardless of when made, a contribution made by a lobbyist, political committee, or political fund in order to attend an event that occurs during a regular session of the legislature and that is held by the principal campaign committee of a candidate for the legislature or constitutional office, or by a political party organization within a body of the legislature, is a violation of this section.
(d) Regardless of when made, a contribution from a lobbyist, political committee, or political fund for membership or access to a facility operated during the regular session of the legislature by the principal campaign committee of a candidate for the legislature or constitutional office, or by a political party organization within a body of the legislature, is a violation of this section.
Subd. 2.Party unit solicitations.
A political party unit must not solicit or receive at an event hosted by a candidate for the legislature or by a candidate for constitutional office a contribution from a lobbyist, political committee, political fund, or party unit during a regular session of the legislature.
Subd. 3.Definition.
For purposes of this section, a “regular session” starts at 12:00 a.m., on the first day of each annual session and ends at 11:59 p.m. on the last day of each annual session. For purposes of this section, regular session does not include a special session or the interim between the two annual sessions of a biennium.
Subd. 4.Civil penalty.
A candidate, political committee, party unit, political fund, an association not registered with the board, or a registered lobbyist that violates this section is subject to a civil penalty imposed by the board of up to $1,000. If the board makes a public finding that there is probable cause to believe a violation of this section has occurred, the board may bring an action, or transmit the finding to a county attorney who must bring an action, in the District Court of Ramsey County, to collect a civil penalty as imposed by the board. Penalties paid under this section must be deposited in the general fund in the state treasury.
Subd. 5.Special election.
This section does not apply in a legislative special election during the period beginning when the person becomes a candidate in the special election and ending on the day of the special election.