S.B. 623: COMMITTEE SUMMARY - SELLING POLITICAL MERCHANDISE

Senate Bill 623 (as introduced 6-25-97)

Date Completed: 9-30-97

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Michigan Campaign Finance Act to require a committee to post at a fund-raising event or other event a sign that indicated that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of merchandise at the event would be used for political purposes.

(The Act defines "committee" as a person who receives contributions or makes expenditures in order to influence or attempt to influence the action of the voters for or against the nomination or election of a candidate, or the qualification, passage, or defeat of a ballot question, if contributions received total at least $500 in a calendar year or expenditures made total at least $500 in a calendar year. An individual, other than a candidate, does not constitute a committee. A person, other than a committee registered under the Act, making an expenditure to a ballot question committee is not considered a committee for the purposes of the Act unless the person solicits or receives contributions for the purpose of making an expenditure to that ballot question committee.)

Before merchandise was sold at an event, a committee would have to post a sign or signs that were visible to any person approaching the sale area, before that person offered to purchase the political merchandise, and were large enough and had typeface large enough to be read by the general public from a distance of at least five feet from the sale area. The sign or signs also would have to contain all of the following:

-- A statement that said: "A portion of the proceeds from the merchandise sold at this event will be used for political purposes."

-- The name of the committee holding, sponsoring, or present at the event.

-- The name of the candidate or ballot question, if any, supported or opposed by the committee.

-- The portion of the proceeds from the sale of the political merchandise that would be allocated to the committee.

-- A statement indicating that it was a violation of Michigan law to spend more than $20 to purchase merchandise at the event, unless the name, address, and occupation, if applicable, of the purchaser was recorded as required by the Act.

The committee would have to ensure that the sign or signs posted pursuant to the bill remained posted during the entire time that political merchandise was offered for sale at the event.

The bill specifies that a committee that held or sponsored a fund-raising event or was present at any other event where political merchandise was sold to benefit the committee would be subject to the bill's provisions. These provisions would be in addition to all other provisions of the Act applicable to the committee, to the fund-raising event or other event, and to the sale of political merchandise.

Proposed MCL 169.240 - Legislative Analyst: L. Arasim

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.

- Fiscal Analyst: B. Bowerman

S9798\S623SA

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.