JUDGES' CAMPAIGN STATEMENTS H.B. 4596 & 4597:
SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bills 4596 and 4597 (as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Lisa Posthumus Lyons
Senate Committee: Elections and Government Reform
CONTENT
The bills would amend the Michigan Campaign Finance Act to excuse the committee of an incumbent judge or justice from filing a written statement indicating that the committee did not expect to receive or spend more than $1,000 for an election, and to excuse such a committee from filing a campaign statement.
The bills are tie-barred. Each bill would take effect 90 days after its enactment.
House Bill 4596
The Act requires a committee to file a statement of organization and requires the statement to contain specified information. When filing a statement of organization, a committee, other than an independent committee, a political committee, or a political party committee, may indicate in a written statement signed by the treasurer of the committee that it does not expect for each election to receive or spend an amount in excess of $1,000.
Under the bill, the treasurer of a committee of an incumbent judge or justice would be considered to have made the required statement following the judge's or justice's appointment or election and would not be required to file a written statement indicating that the committee did not expect for each election to receive or spend more than $1,000.
Currently, a candidate committee that files a written statement described above is not required to file a dissolution statement if the committee failed to receive or spend more than $1,000 and either the candidate was defeated in an election and has no outstanding debts or assets, or the candidate vacates an elective office and has no outstanding debts of assets. Under the bill, this also would apply to candidate committee that was considered to have made a statement, as provided for a judge or justice.
House Bill 4597
The Act requires a committee to file various campaign statements. A candidate committee or a committee other than a candidate committee that files a written statement indicating that it does not expect to receive or spend more than $1,000 is not required to file a campaign statement, however, unless it received or spent more than $1,000.
Under the bill, this exception also would apply to a committee that was automatically considered to have made a statement (as provided in House Bill 4596).
MCL 169.224 (H.B. 4596) Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
169.233 (H.B. 4597)