Minnesota Statutes 10A.173 – Noncampaign Disbursements
Subdivision 1.Services for a constituent.
(a) The cost of services for a constituent performed from the beginning of the term of office to adjournment sine die of the legislature in the election year for the office held are noncampaign disbursements. One-half of the cost of services for a constituent performed from adjournment sine die to 60 days after adjournment sine die are noncampaign disbursements.
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 10A.173
- Adjournment sine die: The end of a legislative session "without day." These adjournments are used to indicate the final adjournment of an annual or the two-year session of legislature.
- Candidate: means an individual who seeks nomination or election as a state constitutional officer, legislator, or judge. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Election: means a primary, special primary, general, or special election. See Minnesota Statutes 10A.01
- Legislative action: means any of the following:
(1) the development of prospective legislation, including the development of amendment language to prospective legislation;
(2) the review, modification, adoption, or rejection by a member of the legislature or an employee of the legislature, if applicable, of any (i) bill, (ii) amendment, (iii) resolution, (iv) confirmation considered by the legislature, or (v) report;
(3) the development of, in conjunction with a constitutional officer, prospective legislation or a request for support or opposition to introduced legislation; and
(4) the action of the governor in approving or vetoing any act of the legislature or portion of an act of the legislature. 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).
- Noncampaign disbursement: means a purchase or payment of money or anything of value made, or an advance of credit incurred, or a donation in kind received, by a principal campaign committee for any of the following purposes:
(1) payment for accounting and legal services related to operating the candidate's campaign committee, serving in office, or security for the candidate or the candidate's immediate family, including but not limited to seeking and obtaining a harassment restraining order;
(2) return of a contribution to the source;
(3) repayment of a loan made to the principal campaign committee by that committee;
(4) return of a public subsidy;
(5) payment for food, beverages, and necessary utensils and supplies, entertainment, and facility rental for a fundraising event;
(6) services for a constituent by a member of the legislature or a constitutional officer in the executive branch as provided in section 10A. 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
- state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
(b) During the periods provided in paragraph (a), a candidate‘s committee may claim the following expenses as a noncampaign disbursement for services for a constituent under section 10A.01, subdivision 26, paragraph (a), clause (6):
(1) the cost of a charter bus to transport constituents to an educational day held at the State Capitol during a legislative session;
(2) the cost of hiring an intern that is directly attributable to the intern’s provision of services for constituents;
(3) the cost of congratulatory letters sent to the office holder’s constituents that include information about government services available to the recipient or how the recipient can register to vote;
(4) the cost of food or beverages consumed by a constituent during a meeting with the office holder, in compliance with section 211B.13;
(5) the cost of food and beverages consumed by the candidate or volunteers when the candidate or volunteers are distributing communications that qualify as services to a constituent; and
(6) the cost of printing and distributing a review of legislative action and issues to the office holder’s constituents if the distribution occurs prior to the sine die adjournment of the legislature.
If the review of legislative action described in clause (6) is distributed after the legislature adjourns sine die, the printing and distribution costs must be prorated between noncampaign disbursements and campaign expenditures as described in paragraph (a), even if the printing occurred prior to adjournment.
(c) A communication prepared as a service for a constituent must include the disclaimer required by section 211B.04 when the communication is disseminated after adjournment sine die of the legislature in the election year for the office held.
Subd. 2.Food and beverages while campaigning.
A candidate’s committee may not claim the cost of food and beverages consumed by the candidate and volunteers when the candidate and volunteers are campaigning outside of the candidate’s district, unless the committee intends to terminate and complies with section 10A.27, subdivision 9, paragraph (b), as noncampaign disbursements under section 10A.01, subdivision 26, paragraph (a), clause (7).
Subd. 3.Food and beverages; legislative duties.
(a) A candidate’s committee may claim the expense of food and beverages consumed by other legislators or legislative staff at a reception or meeting as a noncampaign disbursement under section 10A.01, subdivision 26, paragraph (a), clause (8).
(b) Except as provided by paragraph (a), a candidate’s committee may not claim the expense of food and beverages consumed by individuals other than the legislator at a reception or meeting as a noncampaign disbursement under section 10A.01, subdivision 26, paragraph (a), clause (8).
Subd. 4.Expenses for serving in public office.
(a) A candidate’s committee may claim the following expenses as noncampaign disbursements for expenses for serving in public office under section 10A.01, subdivision 26, paragraph (a), clause (10):
(1) the cost of transportation, lodging, meals, and other expenses necessary to attend meetings and conferences when the reason that the candidate attends the event is to assist the candidate in performing the duties of the office held and the candidate would not attend the event if the candidate were not an office holder;
(2) the cost of traveling to the State Capitol for scheduled legislative committee meetings and regular and special legislative sessions when those costs are not reimbursed by another source; and
(3) the cost of meals for legislative staff while the staff member is engaged in performing legislative work for the candidate.
(b) A candidate’s committee may not claim the following expenses as noncampaign disbursements for expenses for serving in public office under section 10A.01, subdivision 26, paragraph (a), clause (10):
(1) the cost of membership fees and dues necessary to belong to organizations located in the office holder’s district;
(2) costs incurred for transportation, lodging, and other expenses for trips taken outside of the office holder’s district for the purpose of relationship building; and
(3) costs incurred for transportation, lodging, and other expenses by an individual accompanying an office holder on a trip unless the office holder is a person with a disability, as defined in section 363A.03, subdivision 12, and the accompanying individual is providing services that are made necessary by the disability.
Clause (3) does not require a committee to allocate a travel expense between an office holder and an individual accompanying the office holder on a trip when the presence of the accompanying individual does not increase the amount of the expense.