COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH

OVERSIGHT DIVISION



FISCAL NOTE



LR No.: 3617-02

Bill No.: HCS for HB 1150

Subject: Elections: Campaign Finance

Type: Original

Date: March 8, 2004




FISCAL SUMMARY



ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON GENERAL REVENUE FUND
FUND AFFECTED FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007
General Revenue $10,000 $10,000 $10,000
Total Estimated

Net Effect on

General Revenue

Fund

$10,000 $10,000 $10,000



ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON OTHER STATE FUNDS
FUND AFFECTED FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007
Total Estimated

Net Effect on Other

State Funds

$0 $0 $0



Numbers within parentheses: ( ) indicate costs or losses.

This fiscal note contains 4 pages.











ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON FEDERAL FUNDS
FUND AFFECTED FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007
Total Estimated

Net Effect on All

Federal Funds

$0 $0 $0



ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON LOCAL FUNDS
FUND AFFECTED FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007
Local Government $0 $0 $0




FISCAL ANALYSIS



ASSUMPTION



Oversight assumes that the Office of State Court Administrator assume that appeals of decisions of the Mo. Ethics Commission would be appealed to the Cole County Circuit Court. Officials stated that they would not expect the number of appeals to be so great as to have a fiscal impact on the Courts.



Officials of the Office of Secretary of State assume no fiscal impact.



Officials of the Missouri Ethics Commission stated this proposal would annually increase the State's General Revenue Fund by approximately $10,000, due to the annual lobbyist registration fee. Officials assume no fiscal impact to the Commission.



Oversight assumes no local fiscal impact.



Due to timing local election boards were not able to respond.





FISCAL IMPACT - State Government FY 2005

(10 Mo.)

FY 2006 FY 2007
GENERAL REVENUE FUND
Income to Mo. Ethics Commission
from annual $10,000 lobbyist fee $10,000 $10,000 $10,000
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT TO GENERAL REVENUE FUND $10,000 $10,000 $10,000



FISCAL IMPACT - Local Government FY 2005

(10 Mo.)

FY 2006 FY 2007
$0 $0 $0



FISCAL IMPACT - Small Business



No direct fiscal impact to small businesses would be expected as a result of this proposal.



DESCRIPTION

This substitute makes changes to the laws regarding ethics and campaign contribution disclosures. In its main provisions, the substitute: (1) Requires lobbyists to file verified registration forms with the Missouri Ethics Commission no later than January 5 of each year or five days after beginning lobbyist activities; (2) Requires financial interest statements to be filed with the commission electronically rather than in paper form and changes the dates when the statements must be filed; (3) Allows candidates for General Assembly leadership positions to form campaign committees, sets the campaign contribution limits for the leadership committees, requires the leadership committees to file campaign contribution disclosure reports by certain dates, and prohibits the leadership committees from making campaign contributions to leadership candidates' regular candidate committees; (4) Changes the language regarding the notice that must be given to subjects of complaints and commission investigations from "actual notice" to "notice"; (5) Changes the body to which subjects of complaints may appeal Missouri Ethics Commission actions from the Administrative Hearing Commission to the circuit court of Cole County; (6) Deletes direct dollar amounts from various sections limiting campaign contributions and instead references the section setting the base amount and the method of computing the biennial increase;



DESCRIPTION continued



(7) Changes the requirement that certain candidates file required reports with both their local election authority and the commission, to just the commission; (8) Requires that candidates for the General Assembly file campaign disclosure reports electronically, beginning on a date set by the commission but no later than January 1, 2005; (9) Deletes the requirement that the commission print and make available a summary of all laws for which they have enforcement powers; (10) Reorganizes various sections regarding reporting requirements for out-of-state committees and candidates nominated by political party committees; and (11) Changes from $15,000 to $5,000 the amount of contributions which triggers the requirement for continuing committees to file electronic reports and extends the requirement to political party committees and campaign committees.

This legislation is not federally mandated, would not duplicate any other program and would not require additional capital improvements or rental space.



SOURCES OF INFORMATION



Missouri Ethics Commission

Office of Secretary of State

Office of State Courts Administrator



NOT RESPONDING



Office of Attorney General







Mickey Wilson, CPA

Director

March 8, 2004