S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  7181

                            I N  S E N A T E

                               May 2, 2014
                               ___________

Introduced  by Sen. GIANARIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections

AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to contributions to candi-
  dates and political committees

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.    Subdivision 1 of section 14-114 of the election law, as
amended by chapter 79 of the laws of 1992, paragraphs a and b as amended
by chapter 659 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
  1. The following limitations apply to all contributions to  candidates
for election to any public office or for nomination for any such office,
or  for  election  to  any  party positions, and to all contributions to
political committees working directly or indirectly with  any  candidate
to  aid or participate in such candidate's nomination or election, other
than any contributions to any party committee or constituted committee:
  a. In any election for a public office to be voted on by the voters of
the entire state, or for nomination to any such office,  no  contributor
may  make a contribution to any candidate or political committee, and no
candidate or political committee may accept any  contribution  from  any
contributor,  which is in the aggregate amount greater than:  (i) in the
case of any nomination to public office, the product of the total number
of enrolled voters in the candidate's  party  in  the  state,  excluding
voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.005, but such amount shall be
not  [less  than four thousand dollars nor] more than [twelve] SIX thou-
sand dollars [as increased or decreased by the cost of living adjustment
described in paragraph c of this subdivision,] and (ii) in the  case  of
any  election  to  [a]  SUCH  public  office, [twenty-five] SIX thousand
dollars [as increased or decreased by  the  cost  of  living  adjustment
described  in  paragraph  c of this subdivision]; provided however, that
the maximum amount which may be  so  contributed  or  accepted,  in  the
aggregate,  from any candidate's child, parent, grandparent, brother and
sister, and the spouse of any such persons, shall not exceed in the case
of any nomination to public office an amount equivalent to  the  product
of  the number of enrolled voters in the candidate's party in the state,

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                           LBD14252-02-4

S. 7181                             2

excluding voters in inactive status, multiplied by  $.025,  and  in  the
case  of  any  election for a public office, an amount equivalent to the
product of the number of registered voters in the state excluding voters
in inactive status, multiplied by $.025.
  b.  In  any  other  election  for  party position or for election to a
public office or for nomination for any such office, no contributor  may
make  a  contribution  to  any  candidate  or political committee and no
candidate or political committee may accept any  contribution  from  any
contributor,  which  is in the aggregate amount greater than: (i) in the
case of any election for party position, or  for  nomination  to  public
office, the product of the total number of enrolled voters in the candi-
date's  party  in  the  district  in  which he is a candidate, excluding
voters in inactive status, multiplied by $.05, and (ii) in the  case  of
any  election  for  a  public office, the product of the total number of
registered voters in the district, excluding voters in inactive  status,
multiplied  by $.05, however in the case of a nomination within the city
of New York for the office of mayor,  public  advocate  or  comptroller,
such  amount  shall be not less than four thousand dollars nor more than
twelve thousand dollars as increased or decreased by the cost of  living
adjustment  described in paragraph c of this subdivision; in the case of
an election within the city of New York for the office of mayor,  public
advocate  or  comptroller,  twenty-five thousand dollars as increased or
decreased by the cost of living adjustment described in paragraph  c  of
this  subdivision;  in  the  case  of a nomination OR ELECTION for state
senator, four thousand dollars [as increased or decreased by the cost of
living adjustment described in paragraph c of this subdivision;  in  the
case  of  an  election for state senator, six thousand two hundred fifty
dollars as increased or decreased  by  the  cost  of  living  adjustment
described  in  paragraph  c  of  this  subdivision];  in  the case of an
election or nomination  for  a  member  of  the  assembly,  [twenty-five
hundred]  TWO THOUSAND dollars [as increased or decreased by the cost of
living adjustment described in paragraph c of this subdivision;  but  in
no event shall any such maximum exceed fifty thousand dollars or be less
than  one  thousand  dollars]; provided however, that the maximum amount
which may be so contributed or accepted,  in  the  aggregate,  from  any
candidate's  child,  parent,  grandparent,  brother  and sister, and the
spouse of any such persons, shall not exceed in the case of any election
for party position or nomination for public office an amount  equivalent
to  the  number  of  enrolled  voters  in  the  candidate's party in the
district in which he  is  a  candidate,  excluding  voters  in  inactive
status,  multiplied  by  $.25  and in the case of any election to public
office, an amount equivalent to the number of registered voters  in  the
district,  excluding  voters  in inactive status, multiplied by $.25; or
twelve hundred fifty dollars, whichever is greater, or in the case of  a
nomination  or  election  of  a  state senator, twenty thousand dollars,
whichever is greater, or in the case of a nomination or  election  of  a
member  of  the assembly twelve thousand five hundred dollars, whichever
is greater, but in no event shall any such maximum  exceed  one  hundred
thousand dollars.
  c.    At  the  beginning  of  each fourth calendar year, commencing in
[nineteen hundred ninety-five] TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE, the state  board
shall determine the percentage of the difference between the most recent
available monthly consumer price index for all urban consumers published
by  the United States bureau of labor statistics and such consumer price
index published for the same month four years previously. The amount  of
each contribution limit fixed AND EXPRESSLY IDENTIFIED FOR ADJUSTMENT in

S. 7181                             3

this  subdivision  shall  be  adjusted  by the amount of such percentage
difference to the closest one hundred dollars by the state board  which,
not  later than the first day of February in each such year, shall issue
a regulation publishing the amount of each such contribution limit. Each
contribution  limit  as  so  adjusted shall be the contribution limit in
effect for any election held before the next such adjustment.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.