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

                                 2897--A

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 30, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sens.  GIANARIS,  ADDABBO,  ESPAILLAT, HOYLMAN, SERRANO,
  SQUADRON, STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed
  to be committed to the Committee on Elections --  recommitted  to  the
  Committee  on  Elections  in  accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
  committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
  recommitted to said committee

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

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD07818-02-6
              

S. 2897--A                          2

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,
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.

S. 2897--A                          3

  c. At the beginning of each fourth calendar year, commencing in [nine-
teen hundred ninety-five] TWO THOUSAND  TWENTY-THREE,  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
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.