Judges would review subpoenas in campaign finance investigations

The commission would need a court order before serving a subpoena. This applies to subpoenas in campaign finance investigations. The commission would need written findings showing reasonable suspicion of a violation and approval from at least two-thirds of its members. The court would review the findings and the subpoena’s scope. A person could ask the court for relief if responding would cause undue burden or expense. A subpoena would expire six months after it is issued unless a court orders it enforced before then. The text also says subpoenas issued before July 1, 2025, are invalid.

The commission could not interpret either law or make law through its case decisions. This applies to the campaign finance act and the state governmental ethics law. The commission could still adopt rules to address matters not stated in either law. Reports, orders, and advisory opinions issued on or after July 1, 2024, would not set precedent, except to support a presumption of compliance for someone who requested an opinion or to keep penalties consistent for similar violations. The limit on precedent applies to commission reports, orders, and advisory opinions issued on or after July 1, 2024.

Campaign finance reports would identify contributors and recipients of spending above $150. This applies to campaign finance reports filed by candidates and committees. Reports would still list the amount, date, and purpose of covered contributions and spending. The threshold applies during the election period for contributions and to aggregate spending. The contribution threshold applies during the election period. The text gives no separate time period for the spending threshold.

Some paid campaign messages would not need to name an individual responsible for them. These rules cover paid messages supporting or opposing clearly identified candidates for state or local office. For brochures and similar materials, the individual-name disclosure would not apply to people whose spending is less than $2,500 in a calendar year. For paid internet messages, the individual-name rule would apply only to messages made by a candidate or covered committee and viewed or shared with at least 25 people. Paid messages on social media services with a limit of 280 characters or fewer would be exempt from the specified phone and internet attribution rules.

A person with an unpaid commission fine or missing campaign report could still become a candidate for state or local office. This applies to people seeking state or local office. This applies when the fine or penalty has not been waived and is not under appeal.