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H*3743

Session 109 (1991-1992)

H*3743(Rat #0257, Act #0248 of 1991)  General Bill, By  House Judiciary
 A Bill to enact "The Ethics, Government Accountability, and Campaign Reform
 Act of 1991" so as to amend Chapter 17, Title 2, Code of Laws of South
 Carolina, 1976, relating to lobbyists and lobbying, so as to further provide
 for the regulation of lobbyists and lobbying and to provide penalties for
 certain violations; to amend Chapter 13, Title 8, relating to ethics, conduct,
 campaign practices, and disclosures, so as to further provide for the
 regulation of ethics, conduct, forms and reports by candidates for election by
 the General Assembly, disclosures of economic interests, campaign practices,
 and penalties for certain violations; to add certain felony offenses to the
 list of crimes classified as felonies in Section 16-1-10; to repeal Section
 8-5-10, relating to nepotism; and to delete the legislative members from state
 boards and commissions.-amended title

   03/28/91  House  Introduced, read first time, placed on calendar
                     without reference HJ-10
   04/02/91  House  Special order, set for 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, April
                     2, 1991 (Under H 3756) HJ-9
   04/02/91  House  Amended HJ-10
   04/03/91  House  Amended HJ-16
   04/03/91  House  Read second time HJ-85
   04/04/91  House  Read third time and sent to Senate HJ-100
   04/04/91  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-9
   04/04/91  Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary SJ-10
   04/10/91  Senate Committee report: Favorable with amendment
                     Judiciary SJ-19
   04/10/91  Senate Amended SJ-20
   04/10/91  Senate Read second time SJ-111
   04/10/91  Senate Ordered to third reading with notice of
                     amendments SJ-111
   04/23/91  Senate Special order, set for 11:30 Wednesday, April 24 SJ-232
   04/24/91  Senate Amended SJ-30
   04/24/91  Senate Read third time and returned to House with
                     amendments SJ-46
   04/25/91  House  Senate amendment amended HJ-11
   04/25/91  House  Returned to Senate with amendments HJ-50
   04/25/91  Senate Non-concurrence in House amendment SJ-10
   04/30/91  House  House insists upon amendment and conference
                     committee appointed Reps. Wilkins, Hayes & Waites HJ-4
   04/30/91  Senate Conference committee appointed Sens. Moore,
                     Stillwell, Washington SJ-15
   09/23/91  House  Free conference powers granted HJ-65
   09/23/91  House  Free conference committee appointed Wilkins,
                     Hayes & Waites HJ-65
   09/23/91  Senate Free conference powers granted SJ-35
   09/23/91  Senate Free conference committee appointed Moore,
                     Stillwell & Washington SJ-38
   09/23/91  House  Free conference report received and adopted HJ-65
   09/23/91  Senate Free conference report received and adopted SJ-125
   09/23/91  Senate Ordered enrolled for ratification SJ-125
   09/23/91         Ratified R 257
   10/01/91         Signed By Governor
   10/01/91         Act No. 248
   11/19/91         See act for exception to or explanation of
                     effective date
   11/01/91         Copies available

(A248, R257, H3743)

AN ACT TO ENACT "THE ETHICS, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY, AND CAMPAIGN REFORM ACT OF 1991" SO AS TO AMEND CHAPTER 17, TITLE 2, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO LOBBYISTS AND LOBBYING, SO AS TO FURTHER PROVIDE FOR THE REGULATION OF LOBBYISTS AND LOBBYING AND TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR CERTAIN VIOLATIONS; TO AMEND CHAPTER 13, TITLE 8, RELATING TO ETHICS, CONDUCT, CAMPAIGN PRACTICES, AND DISCLOSURES, SO AS TO FURTHER PROVIDE FOR THE REGULATION OF ETHICS, CONDUCT, FORMS AND REPORTS BY CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, DISCLOSURES OF ECONOMIC INTERESTS, CAMPAIGN PRACTICES, AND PENALTIES FOR CERTAIN VIOLATIONS; TO ADD CERTAIN FELONY OFFENSES TO THE LIST OF CRIMES CLASSIFIED AS FELONIES IN SECTION 16-1-10; TO REPEAL SECTION 8-5-10, RELATING TO NEPOTISM; AND TO DELETE THE LEGISLATIVE MEMBERS FROM STATE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

Whereas, the General Assembly declares that the operation of responsible democratic government requires that the fullest opportunity be afforded the people to petition their government for the redress of grievances and to express freely to any public official or public employee their opinions on legislation or agency proposal, drafting, development, consideration, amendment, withdrawal, or promulgation of a regulation; and

Whereas, the trust of the public is essential for government to function effectively. Public policy developed by elected officials affects every citizen of the State, and it must be based on honest and fair deliberations and decisions. This process must be free from all threats, favoritism, undue influence, and all forms of impropriety so that the confidence of the public is not eroded; and

Whereas, the General Assembly declares that to preserve and maintain the integrity of the governmental policy-making process in South Carolina it is necessary that the identity, expenditures, and lobbying of certain persons who engage in efforts to influence any public official or public employee on legislation or agency proposal, drafting, development, consideration, amendment, withdrawal, or promulgation of a regulation, by direct communication to any such official or employee, be publicly and regularly disclosed; and

Whereas, one of the most important functions of any law aimed at making public servants more accountable is that of complete and effective disclosure. Since many public officials serve on a part-time basis, it is inevitable that conflicts of interest and appearances of impropriety will occur. Often these conflicts are unintentional and slight, but at every turn those who represent the people of this State must be certain that it is the interests of the people, and not their own, that are being served. Officials should be prepared to remove themselves immediately from a decision, vote, or process that even appears to be a conflict of interest; and

Whereas, the General Assembly finds and declares that full disclosure of campaign contributions and expenditures also is needed to maintain the integrity of the political and governmental processes and to ensure that all individuals have a fair and equal opportunity to participate in the political and governmental processes regardless of any contribution they may have or have not given to an elected official; and

Whereas, this act is intended to ensure that serious candidates are able to raise enough money to communicate their views and positions adequately to the public, thereby promoting public discussion of the important issues involved in political campaigns but that such fundraising shall not consume such time to the candidate or elected official that they would otherwise be unable to conduct the public's business or engage in the public discussion of the important issues involved in a political campaign; and

Whereas, the General Assembly finds and declares that the rapidly increasing costs of political campaigns have forced many candidates to raise larger percentages of money from interest groups with specific financial stakes in matters before the state government, thereby fostering the public perception that votes are being improperly influenced by contributions. This perception is undermining the credibility and integrity of the political and governmental processes; and

Whereas, this act is intended to reduce the influence of large contributors with specific financial stakes in matters before government, thus countering the perception that decisions are influenced more by the size of contributions than by the best interests of the people; and

Whereas, this act is intended to improve the disclosure of contribution sources in reasonable and effective ways; and

Whereas, this act is intended to help restore public trust in the governmental institutions and the political and governmental processes. Now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Act cited

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the "Ethics, Government Accountability, and Campaign Reform Act of 1991".

Lobbyists and lobbying

SECTION 2. Chapter 17, Title 2 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"CHAPTER 17

Lobbyists and Lobbying

Section 2-17-5. On July 1, 1993, the duties and powers given to the Secretary of State in this chapter must be transferred to the State Ethics Commission. When this transfer takes place, the Code Commissioner is directed to change all references in this chapter from the Secretary of State to the State Ethics Commission.

Section 2-17-10. As used in this chapter, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(1) (a) `Anything of value' or `thing of value' means:

(i) a pecuniary item, including money, a bank bill, or a bank note;

(ii) a promissory note, bill of exchange, an order, a draft, warrant, check, or bond given for the payment of money;

(iii) a contract, agreement, promise, or other obligation for an advance, a conveyance, forgiveness of indebtedness, deposit, distribution, loan, payment, gift, pledge, or transfer of money;

(iv) a stock, bond, note, or other investment interest in an entity;

(v) a receipt given for the payment of money or other property;

(vi) a chose-in-action;

(vii) a gift, tangible good, chattel, or an interest in a gift, tangible good, or chattel;

(viii) a loan or forgiveness of indebtedness;

(ix) a work of art, an antique, or a collectible;

(x) an automobile or other means of personal transportation;

(xi) real property or an interest in real property, including title to realty, a fee simple or partial interest in realty including present, future, contingent, or vested interests in realty, a leasehold interest, or other beneficial interest in realty;

(xii) an honorarium or compensation for services;

(xiii) a promise or offer of employment;

(xiv) any other item that is of pecuniary or compensatory worth to a person.

(b) `Anything of value' or `thing of value' does not mean:

(i) printed informational or promotional material, not to exceed ten dollars in monetary value;

(ii) items of nominal value, not to exceed ten dollars, containing or displaying promotional material;

(iii) a personalized plaque or trophy with a value that does not exceed one hundred fifty dollars;

(iv) educational material of a nominal value directly related to the public official's, public member's, or public employee's official responsibilities;

(v) an honorary degree bestowed upon a public official, public member, or public employee from a public or private university or college;

(vi) promotional or marketing items offered to the general public on the same terms and conditions without regard to status as a public official or public employee; or

(vii) a campaign contribution properly received and reported under the provisions of Chapter 13 of Title 8.

(2) `Covered agency actions' means the proposal, drafting, development, consideration, amendment, withdrawal, or promulgation of a regulation under Article 1, Chapter 23 of Title 1 of the 1976 Code.

(3) `Covered gubernatorial actions' means:

(a) gubernatorial approval or veto of legislation;

(b) gubernatorial consideration or issuance of any executive order;

(d) gubernatorial consideration of or the decision to award any grant derived from federal or other funds or from any source.

(4) (a) `Economic interest' means an interest distinct from that of the general public in a purchase, sale, lease, contract, option, or other transaction or arrangement involving property or services in which a public official or public employee may gain an economic benefit of fifty dollars or more.

(b) This definition does not prohibit a public official or public employee from participating in, voting on, or influencing or attempting to influence an official decision if the only economic interest or reasonably foreseeable benefit that may accrue to the public official or public employee is incidental to the public official's or public employee's position or which accrues to the public official or public employee as a member of a profession, occupation, or large class to no greater extent than the economic interest or potential benefit could reasonably be foreseen to accrue to all other members of the profession, occupation, or large class.

(5) `Expenditure' means a purchase, payment, loan, forgiveness of a loan, an advance, in-kind contribution or expenditure, a deposit, transfer of funds, gift of money or anything of value for any purpose, and a payment to a lobbyist for compensation, for expenses, or lobbying, including the direct payment of expenses incurred at the request or suggestion of a lobbyist.

(6) `Family member' means an individual who is:

(a) the spouse, parent, brother, sister, child, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent, or grandchild; or

(b) a member of the individual's immediate family.

(7) `Immediate family' means:

(a) a child residing in a public official's or public employee's household;

(b) a spouse of a public official or public employee; or

(c) an individual claimed by the public official or public employee or the public official's or public employee's spouse as a dependent for income tax purposes.

(8) `Individual' means one human being.

(9) `Income' means the receipt or promise of any consideration, whether or not legally enforceable, including attorney's fees attributable to lobbying.

(10) `Legislation' means:

(a) bills, resolutions, amendments, reports, legislative acts, vetoes, nominations, rules, and regulations pending or proposed in either the House or Senate;

(b) any other matter which may be the subject of action by either house; or

(c) the appointment of committees of conference and free conference by the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President of the Senate.

(11) `Legislative caucus' means:

(a) a committee of either house of the General Assembly controlled by the caucus of a political party or a caucus based upon racial or ethnic affinity, or gender;

(b) a party or group of either house of the General Assembly based upon racial or ethnic affinity, or gender. However, each house may establish only one committee for each racial-, ethnic-, or gender-based affinity.

(12) `Lobbying' means promoting or opposing through direct communication with public officials or public employees:

(a) the introduction or enactment of legislation before the General Assembly or the committees or members of the General Assembly;

(b) covered gubernatorial actions;

(d) consideration of the election or appointment of an individual to a public office elected or appointed by the General Assembly.

`Lobbying' does not include the activities of a member of the General Assembly, a member of the staff of a member of the Senate or House of Representatives, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, or a member of the executive staff of the Governor or Lieutenant Governor acting in his capacity as a public official or public employee with regard to his public duties.

(13) `Lobbyist' means any person who is employed, appointed, or retained, with or without compensation, by another person to influence by direct communication with public officials or public employees: (i) the action or vote of any member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, or any other statewide constitutional officer concerning any legislation; (ii) the vote of any public official on any state agency, board, or commission concerning any covered agency actions; or (iii) the action of the Governor or any member of his executive staff concerning any covered gubernatorial actions. `Lobbyist' also means any person who is employed, appointed, or retained, with or without compensation, by a state agency, college, university, or other institution of higher learning to influence by direct communication with public officials or public employees: (i) the action or vote of any member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, or any other statewide constitutional officer concerning any legislation; (ii) the vote of any public official of any state agency, board, or commission concerning any covered agency actions; or (iii) the action of the Governor or any member of his executive staff concerning any covered gubernatorial actions. `Lobbyist' does not include:

(a) an individual who receives no compensation to engage in lobbying and who expresses a personal opinion on legislation, covered gubernatorial actions, or covered agency actions to any public official or public employee;

(b) a person who appears only before public sessions of committees or subcommittees of the General Assembly, public hearings of state agencies, public hearings before any public body of a quasi-judicial nature, or proceedings of any court of this State;

(c) any duly elected or appointed official or employee of the State, the United States, a county, municipality, school district, or a political subdivision thereof, or a member of the judiciary when appearing solely on matters pertaining to his office and public duties unless lobbying constitutes a regular and substantial portion of such official's or employee's duties;

(d) a person performing professional services in drafting legislation or in advising and rendering opinions to clients as to the construction and effect of proposed or pending legislation;

(e) a person who owns, publishes, or is employed by a radio station, television station, wire service, or other bona fide news medium which in the ordinary course of business disseminates news, editorials, columns, other comments, or other regularly published periodicals if such person represents no other person in lobbying for legislation, covered agency actions, or covered gubernatorial actions. This exception applies to the publication of any periodical which is published and distributed by a membership organization to its subscribers at least twelve times annually and for which an annual subscription charge of at least one dollar fifty cents a subscriber is made;

(f) a person who represents any established church solely for the purpose of protecting the rights of the membership of the church or for the purpose of protecting the doctrines of the church or on matters considered to have an adverse effect upon the moral welfare of the membership of the church;

(g) a person who is running for office elected by the General Assembly or a person soliciting votes on the behalf of a person who is running for office elected by the General Assembly unless such person is otherwise defined as a lobbyist by this section; or

(h) an individual who receives no compensation to engage in lobbying and who does not make expenditures or incur obligations for lobbying in an aggregate amount in excess of five hundred dollars in a calendar year.

(14) `Lobbyist's principal' means the person on whose behalf and for whose benefit the lobbyist engages in lobbying and who directly employs, appoints, or retains a lobbyist to engage in lobbying. However, a lobbyist's principal does not include a person who belongs to an association or organization that employs a lobbyist, nor an employee, officer, or shareholder of a person who employs a lobbyist. If a membership association or organization is a lobbyist's principal, the association or organization must register and report under the provisions of this chapter.

(15) `Person' means an individual, a partnership, committee, an association, a corporation, labor organization, or any other organization or group of persons.

(16) `Public body' means the General Assembly, the Executive Office of the Governor, any department of the State, or any state board, commission, agency, or authority, including committees of any such body, by whatever name known.

(17) `Public employee' means any person employed by the State.

(18) `Public official' means any elected or appointed official of the State, including candidates for any such state office. However, `public official' does not mean a member of the judiciary.

(19) `Voluntary membership organization' means an organization composed of persons who are members thereof on a voluntary basis and who, as a condition of membership, are required to make regular payments to the organization.

Section 2-17-15. (A) The Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, a member of the General Assembly, and a member of the immediate family of any of these public officials may not serve as a lobbyist during the time the official holds office and for one year after such public service ends.

(B) The provisions of this section apply to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, or any other statewide constitutional officer who is elected after December 31, 1993, or any member of the General Assembly who is elected after December 31, 1991.

Section 2-17-20. (A) Any person who acts as a lobbyist shall, within fifteen days of being employed, appointed, or retained as a lobbyist, register with the Secretary of State as provided in this section. Each person registering shall pay a fee of fifty dollars and present to the Secretary of State a communication reflecting the authority of the registrant to represent the person by whom he is employed, appointed, or retained. If a partnership, committee, association, corporation, labor organization, or any other organization or group of persons registers as a lobbyist, then it must identify each person who will act as a lobbyist on its behalf during the covered period. There is no registration fee for a lobbyist who is a full-time employee of a state agency and limits his lobbying to efforts on behalf of that particular state agency.

(B) The registration must be in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State and be limited to and contain:

(1) the lobbyist's full name and address, telephone number, occupation, name of employer, principal place of business, and position held in that business by the lobbyist;

(2) an identification of the subject matter in which the lobbyist will engage in lobbying, including the name of legislation, covered agency actions, or covered gubernatorial actions, if known; and

(3) certification by the lobbyist that the information contained on the registration statement is true and correct.

(C) Each lobbyist who ceases to engage in lobbying requiring him to register under this section must file a written statement with the Secretary of State acknowledging the termination of lobbying. The written statement of termination is effective immediately. Each lobbyist who files a written statement of termination under this section must file reports required by this chapter for any reporting period during which he was registered under this section.

(D) A lobbyist must file a supplemental registration statement indicating any substantial change in the information contained in the prior registration statement within fifteen days after the date of the change.

(E) The Secretary of State annually must furnish to each chairman of standing and special committees of the General Assembly, each member of the General Assembly, and each statewide constitutional officer a list of all lobbyists registered with that office. The Secretary of State must furnish monthly updates to the same persons. These lists must be available to state agency heads upon request.

(F) Each lobbyist must maintain for not less than four years records which must be available to the Secretary of State for inspection and which must contain:

(1) the identification of each person from whom income attributable to the lobbyist's lobbying is paid or promised and the amount of such income attributable to the lobbyist's lobbying paid or promised; and

(2) the total expenditures of the lobbyist for lobbying.

(G) A lobbyist must reregister annually with the Secretary of State by January fifth of each year.

(H) The Secretary of State shall not allow a lobbyist to register or reregister under this section until the lobbyist complies with the reporting requirements under Section 2-17-30.

Section 2-17-25. (A) Any lobbyist's principal shall, within fifteen days of employing, appointing, or retaining a lobbyist, register with the Secretary of State as provided in this section. Each person registering shall pay a fee of fifty dollars. If a partnership, committee, an association, a corporation, labor organization, or any other organization or group of persons registers as a lobbyist's principal, then it must identify each person who will act as a lobbyist on its behalf during the covered period. If the State is a lobbyist's principal, the State is exempt from paying a registration fee and filing a lobbyist's principal registration statement.

(B) The registration must be in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State and be limited to and include:

(1) the full name, address, and telephone number of the lobbyist's principal. If the lobbyist's principal is an individual, the lobbyist's principal also shall include his occupation, name of employer, principal place of business, and position of authority held in that business by the lobbyist's principal;

(2) an identification of each person the lobbyist's principal expects to employ, appoint, or retain as a lobbyist;

(3) an identification of the subject matter in which the lobbyist's principal will authorize lobbying, including the name of legislation, covered agency actions, or covered gubernatorial actions, if known; and

(4) certification by the lobbyist's principal that the information contained on the registration statement is true and correct.

A lobbyist's principal may comply with the requirements of items (1), (2), and (3) above by attaching a copy of the information submitted by any lobbyist employed, retained, or appointed by the lobbyist's principal if the information requested from the lobbyist's principal is the same as the information supplied by the lobbyist pursuant to Section 2-17-20.

(C) Each lobbyist's principal who ceases to authorize lobbying requiring him to register under this section must file a written statement with the Secretary of State acknowledging the termination of lobbying. The written statement of termination is effective immediately. Each lobbyist's principal who files a written statement of termination under this section must file reports required by this chapter for any reporting period during which he was registered under this section.

(D) A lobbyist's principal must file a supplemental registration statement indicating any substantial change in the information contained in the prior registration statement within fifteen days after the date of the change.

(E) The Secretary of State annually must furnish to each chairman of standing and special committees of the General Assembly, each member of the General Assembly, and each statewide constitutional officer a list of every lobbyist's principal registered with that office. The Secretary of State must furnish monthly updates to the same persons. These lists must be available to state agency heads upon request.

(F) Each lobbyist's principal must maintain for not less than four years records which must be available to the Secretary of State for inspection and which must contain:

(1) the identification of each person to whom income attributable to lobbying is paid or promised and the amount of such income attributable to lobbying paid or promised;

(2) the total expenditures of the lobbyist's principal for lobbying; and

(3) in the case of a voluntary membership organization, dues, fees, or other amounts payable to the organization during any calendar year from a member need be recorded only if the contribution to the organization is more than five hundred dollars and more than twenty percent of the total contributions of the organization during that calendar year.

(G) A lobbyist's principal must reregister annually with the Secretary of State by January fifth of each year.

(H) The Secretary of State shall not allow a lobbyist's principal to register or reregister under this section until the lobbyist's principal complies with the reporting requirements under Section 2-17-35.

Section 2-17-30. (A) Each lobbyist, no later than April first and October first of each year, must file a report with the Secretary of State covering that lobbyist's lobbying during that filing period. Each report must be in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State and be limited to and contain:

(1) the full name, address, and telephone number of the reporting lobbyist;

(2) an identification of each person on whose behalf the reporting lobbyist engaged in lobbying during the covered period;

(3) the official name, number, or description, designated by the House or Senate or by an agency, of legislation, covered agency actions, or covered gubernatorial actions for which the reporting lobbyist engaged in lobbying during the covered period;

(4) the identification of each person from whom income attributable to the lobbyist's lobbying is paid or promised and the amount of the income attributable to the lobbyist's lobbying paid or promised;

(5) (a) a complete and itemized account of the totals of all amounts expended by a lobbyist in the performance of his lobbying during the covered period. The totals must be segregated by the amounts expended for office expenses, rent, utilities, supplies, and compensation of support personnel attributable to lobbying covered under the provisions of this chapter;

(b) any expenditure directly or indirectly related to lobbying if expended while engaged in the general course of lobbying and if reimbursed by the lobbyist's principal;

(6) the name of each member of the judiciary on whose behalf a lobbyist initiated or made expenditures and a complete and itemized account of the amount expended by the lobbyist for each member of the judiciary;

(7) a statement detailing any direct business association of a lobbyist with any current member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, any public official of any state agency who engaged in covered agency actions, or any of their employees. For the purposes of this item, direct business association does not include:

(a) ownership interests held by a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal and a member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, any public official of any state agency who engaged in covered agency actions, or any of their employees in the same corporation or partnership unless the interest of each exceeds five percent of the total shares outstanding or partnership interests in such entity;

(b) an interest held by a member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, any public official of any state agency who engaged in covered agency actions, or any of their employees in a partnership or corporation represented by a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal if the interest is less than five percent of the total shares outstanding or partnership interests in such entity; or

(c) any commercial transaction between a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal and a member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, any public official of any state agency who engaged in covered agency actions, or any of their employees in which the fair market value of the goods transferred or services rendered is paid.

(B) Where total amounts are required to be reported, totals must be reported both for the period covered and for the entire calendar year to date.

Section 2-17-35. (A) Except as otherwise provided by Section 2-17-90(E), each lobbyist's principal, no later than April first and October first of each year, must file a report with the Secretary of State covering that lobbyist's principal's expenditures attributable to lobbying during that filing period. Each report must be in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State and be limited to and contain:

(1) the full name, address, and telephone number of the reporting lobbyist's principal;

(2) an identification of each person who acted as a lobbyist on behalf of the reporting lobbyist's principal during the covered period;

(3) the official name, number, or description, designated by the House or Senate or by an agency, of legislation, covered agency actions, or covered gubernatorial actions for which its lobbyist engaged in lobbying during the covered period;

(4) the identification of each person to whom income attributable to the lobbyist's lobbying is paid or promised and the amount of the income attributable to the lobbyist's lobbying paid or promised;

(5) (a) a complete and itemized account of all amounts expended by a lobbyist's principal for lobbying during the covered period. The totals must be segregated by the amounts expended for office expenses, rent, utilities, supplies, and compensation of support personnel attributable to lobbying covered under the provisions of this chapter;

(b) any expenditure directly or indirectly related to lobbying if expended while a lobbyist's principal or his lobbyist is engaged in the general course of lobbying;

(c) the name of each public official on whose behalf a lobbyist's principal initiated or made expenditures pursuant to Section 2-17-90 and a complete and itemized account of the amount expended by the lobbyist's principal for each public official;

(d) any reimbursements of or expenditures for actual expenses as allowed in Section 2-17-100;

(6) the name of each member of the judiciary on whose behalf a lobbyist's principal initiated or made expenditures and a complete and itemized account of the amount expended by the lobbyist's principal for each member of the judiciary;

(7) a statement detailing any direct business association of a lobbyist's principal with any current member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, any public official of any state agency who engaged in covered agency actions, or any of their employees. For the purposes of this item, direct business association does not include:

(c) any commercial transaction between a lobbyist or lobbyist's principal and a member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, any public official of any state agency who engaged in covered agency actions, or any of their employees in which the fair market value of the goods transferred or services rendered is paid;

(8) any contribution, as defined by Section 8-13-1300(7), made by the lobbyist's principal to any candidate or public official, including an itemization of:

(a) the name and address of the public official or candidate to whom the contribution was made;

(b) the amount of the contribution;

(9) in the case of a voluntary membership organization, dues, fees, or other amounts payable to the organization during any calendar year from a member need be recorded only if the contribution to the organization is more than five hundred dollars and more than twenty percent of the total contributions of the organization during that calendar year.

(B) A lobbyist's principal may comply with the requirements of subsection (A) by attaching a copy of the information submitted by any lobbyists employed, retained, or appointed by the lobbyist's principal if the information requested from the lobbyist's principal is the same as the information supplied by the lobbyist pursuant to Section 2-17-30(A).

(C) Where total amounts are required to be reported, totals must be reported both for the period covered and for the entire calendar year to date.

(D) If the State is a lobbyist's principal, the State is exempt from filing a report except as provided in Section 2-17-40(A).

Section 2-17-40. (A) Each state agency or department shall, no later than April first and October first of each year, file a report with the Secretary of State covering that agency's lobbying during that filing period. Each report must be in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State and be limited to and contain:

(1) an identification of each public official, public employee, or other person who engaged in lobbying for that agency during the covered period;

(2) legislation, covered agency actions, or covered gubernatorial actions the persons identified in item (1) engaged in lobbying during the covered period;

(3) the identification of each person to whom income attributable to the lobbyist's lobbying is paid or promised and the amount of the income attributable to the lobbyist's lobbying paid or promised;

(4) (a) a complete and itemized account of all expenditures made or incurred by those persons identified in item (1) in the performance of their lobbying during the covered period. The totals must be segregated by the amounts expended for office expenses, rent, utilities, supplies, and compensation of support personnel attributable to lobbying covered under the provisions of this chapter;

(b) the name of each public official on whose behalf the state agency or department initiated or made expenditures pursuant to Section 2-17-90 and a complete and itemized account of the amount expended by the state agency or department for each public official;

(B) Where total amounts are required to be reported, totals must be reported for the entire calendar year to date. The reports required by this section are not required from any agency whose only lobbying is appearing before any committee of the General Assembly at the request of that committee or at the request of any member or members of that committee.

Section 2-17-45. An entity which ranks or rates the actions, vote, or failure to act or vote of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, or a member or committee of the General Assembly as to any action, vote, or failure to act or vote by these public officials and which disseminates its rankings or ratings to the general public must no later than April first of each year file a report with the Secretary of State. The provisions of this section do not apply to an entity whose primary business is the publication of a newspaper or other periodical or the production of electronic media programming or to a private membership organization which disseminates its rankings or ratings only to its own membership. The entity shall file the report on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State which must contain the full name, address, and telephone number of:

(1) the entity;

(2) each officer and director of the entity;

(3) each member of the entity who is a member of the General Assembly; and

(4) each member of the entity who is a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal.

Section 2-17-50. (A) The Secretary of State shall:

(1) require a person to submit information pursuant to the requirements of this chapter;

(2) in addition to any other penalty in this chapter, require any person who files a late statement or fails to file a required statement to be assessed a civil penalty as follows:

(a) a fine of one hundred dollars if not filed within ten days after the established deadline provided in this chapter;

(b) after notice has been given by certified or registered mail by the Secretary of State that a required statement has not been filed, a fine of ten dollars a day for each additional calendar day in which the required statement is not filed, not to exceed a total fine of five hundred dollars.

(B) Filing of the required report and payment of the fine within twenty days of notice by the Secretary of State that a required statement has not been filed constitutes compliance with this chapter.

(C) Payment of the fine without filing the required report does not in any way excuse or exempt any person required to file from the filing requirements of this chapter.

Section 2-17-60. The Secretary of State has the following duties:

(1) to develop forms for the filing of notices of registration, representation, complaints, and reports required by this chapter and to furnish the forms to persons upon request;

(2) to issue identification cards to each lobbyist before the lobbyist can engage in lobbying and prior to January tenth of each succeeding year;

(3) to develop a filing, coding, and cross-indexing system consonant with the purpose of this chapter;

(4) to make the notices of registration and the reports filed with the Secretary of State available for public inspection and copying as soon as practicable after receipt of them and to permit copying of any report or statement by hand or by duplicating machine, as requested by any person, at the expense of the person;

(5) to preserve the originals or copies of notices and reports for a period of four years from date of receipt;

(6) to have information, compiled and summarized, made available for public inspection and copying within thirty days after the close of each filing period.

Section 2-17-65. (A) The Secretary of State shall conduct periodic reviews of reports filed with the Secretary of State so as to ascertain whether any lobbyist or lobbyist's principal has failed to comply fully and accurately with the disclosure requirements of this chapter and promptly notify the person to file notices and reports as are necessary to satisfy the requirements of this chapter or regulations prescribed by the Secretary of State under this chapter.

(B) The Secretary of State, upon a failure by any lobbyist or lobbyist's principal to comply fully and accurately with the disclosure requirements of this chapter, may conduct audits of the records of the lobbyist or the lobbyist's principal to verify the accuracy of the information provided by the lobbyist or the lobbyist's principal according to the requirements of this chapter. However, the Secretary of State shall limit his audit of those records of a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal to matters within the scope of lobbying.

(C) If, after notification by the Secretary of State that a required statement has not been filed, the person fails to file the necessary notices and reports, the Secretary of State shall, upon a finding of probable cause, notify the Attorney General who shall proceed under the provisions of Section 2-17-70.

Section 2-17-70. (A) The Attorney General shall make preliminary investigations, with the assistance of the State Law Enforcement Division, of complaints by any person of alleged failures to file any statement or reports required by this chapter or other violation of any part of this chapter. However, upon receipt of a complaint by any person, the Attorney General shall transmit promptly to the lobbyist or the lobbyist's principal of which a complaint is made a copy of the complaint, and the lobbyist or lobbyist's principal must be given an opportunity to respond before any further investigation.

(B) If, after preliminary investigation, the Attorney General finds that probable cause exists to support an alleged violation, he shall, as appropriate:

(1) render an advisory opinion to the lobbyist or lobbyist's principal complained of and require his compliance with the opinion in a reasonable time period;

(2) issue subpoenas, upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or submit interrogatories to the lobbyist or lobbyist's principal complained of for the purpose of further investigating violations of this chapter;

(3) prosecute a person who knowingly or wilfully violates any provision of this chapter.

(C) All Attorney General preliminary investigations and records relating to the preliminary investigations are confidential. The confidentiality of the existence of a complaint may be waived upon written authorization of the lobbyist or lobbyist's principal. If further investigation is conducted by the Attorney General under subsection (B)(2), the lobbyist or lobbyist's principal must be afforded appropriate due process protections, including the right to be represented by counsel.

(D) All actions taken by the Secretary of State or the Attorney General on complaints, except on alleged violations which are found to be groundless, are a matter of public record upon final disposition.

Section 2-17-80. (A) A lobbyist or a person acting on behalf of a lobbyist shall not offer, solicit, facilitate, or provide to or on behalf of any member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, any public official of any state agency who engaged in covered agency actions, or any of their employees any of the following:

(1) lodging;

(2) transportation;

(3) entertainment;

(4) food, meals, beverages, money, or any other thing of value;

(5) contributions, as defined in Section 8-13-1300(7).

(B) A member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, any public official of any state agency who engaged in covered agency actions, or any of their employees shall not solicit or receive from a lobbyist or a person acting on behalf of a lobbyist any of the following:

(1) lodging;

(2) transportation;

(3) entertainment;

(4) food, meals, beverages, money, or any other thing of value;

(5) contributions, as defined in Section 8-13-1300(7).

(C) Subsections (A)(1) through (A)(4) and subsections (B)(1) through (B)(4) of this section do not apply to the furnishing of lodging, transportation, entertainment, food, meals, beverages, or any other thing of value which also is furnished on the same terms or at the same expense to a member of the general public without regard to status as a public official or public employee.

(D) Subsections (A)(1), (A)(2), (B)(1), and (B)(2) of this section do not apply to the rendering of emergency assistance given gratuitously and in good faith by a lobbyist, a lobbyist's principal, or any person acting on behalf of a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal to any member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, any public official of any state agency who engaged in covered agency actions, or any of their employees.

(E) Subsections (A) and (B) do not apply to anything of value given to a family member for love and affection.

Section 2-17-90. (A) Except as otherwise provided under Section 2-17-100, no lobbyist's principal may offer, solicit, facilitate, or provide to a public official or public employee, and no public official or public employee may accept lodging, transportation, entertainment, food, meals, beverages, or an invitation to a function paid for by a lobbyist's principal, except for:

(1) as to members of the General Assembly, a function to which a member of the General Assembly is invited if the entire membership of the House, the Senate, or the General Assembly is invited, or one of the committees, subcommittees, joint committees, legislative caucuses, or county legislative delegations of the General Assembly of which the legislator is a member is invited. However, the Speaker of the House and Speaker Pro Tempore of the House may be included in an invitation to one of the above groups;

(2) as to a public official of a state agency, board, or commission, a function to which an official of a state agency, board, or commission is invited if the entire board or commission of which the public official is a member is invited;

(3) as to public employees, except for public employees of any statewide constitutional officer, a function to which a public employee is invited if a public official of the agency or department by which the public employee is employed also is invited under another provision of this section;

(4) as to public employees of any statewide constitutional officer, a function to which all statewide constitutional officers are invited;

(5) as to statewide constitutional officers, a function to which a statewide constitutional officer is invited;

(6) as to public officials or public employees, activities reasonably and directly related to state or local economic development efforts. However, the public official or public employee first must obtain prior written approval from:

(a) the Governor, in the case of any of his employees or of any public officials of any state agencies or any of their employees which are not listed in a subitem below;

(b) any statewide constitutional officer, in the case of himself or any of his employees;

(d) the Speaker of the House, in the case of a member of the House of Representatives or its employees.

(B) No lobbyist's principal or person acting on behalf of a lobbyist's principal may provide to a public official or a public employee pursuant to subsections (A)(1), (A)(2), (A)(3), (A)(4), or (A)(5) the value of lodging, transportation, entertainment, food, meals, or beverages exceeding twenty-five dollars in a day and two hundred dollars in a calendar year per public official or public employee.

(C) Except as otherwise provided by subsection (E), any public official or any public employee who is required to file a statement of economic interests under Section 8-13-1110 and who accepts lodging, transportation, entertainment, food, meals, or beverages under subsection (A) must report on his statement of economic interests pursuant to Section 8-13-1120 the value of anything received.

(D) Except as otherwise provided by subsection (E), a lobbyist's principal extending an invitation under subsection (A) must report all expenses as required by Section 2-17-35.

(E) If the disclosure required by subsection (C) or (D) would compromise the confidentiality of a state or local economic development project and the approving official under subsection (A)(6) has indicated in the prior written approval that disclosure of that information would jeopardize the negotiations in an economic development project, then the approving official must forward a confidential copy of the prior written approval to the lobbyist's principal involved and the Secretary of State. The public official must disclose only the value of the thing of value received with a notation `for economic development - confidential' on the forms required by Sections 8-13-1110 and 8-13-1120. The lobbyist's principal must not disclose any information identifying the recipient or details of the expenditure on the form required by Section 2-17-35. The public official and the lobbyist's principal must report all required information on forms developed by the Secretary of State for the reporting of information under this subsection. These forms must be marked `confidential' and must not be a part of the public record until such time as the approving official determines that public disclosure is appropriate.

(F) The provisions of this section do not apply to a public official or a public employee who pays for his lodging, transportation, entertainment, meals, food, or beverages at a function to which he has been invited by a lobbyist's principal.

Section 2-17-100. A public official or a public employee acting in an official capacity may not receive anything of value for speaking before a public or private group. Notwithstanding the limitations of Section 2-17-90, a public official may receive payment or reimbursement for actual expenses incurred for a speaking engagement. The expenses must be reasonable and must be incurred in a reasonable time and manner in which to accomplish the purpose of the engagement. The payment or reimbursement must be disclosed by the lobbyist's principal as required by Section 2-17-35 and by any public official who is required to file a statement of economic interests under Section 8-13-1100. If the expenses are incurred out of state, the public official incurring the expenses must receive prior written approval for the payment or reimbursement from:

(1) the Governor, in the case of any public official of any state agency who is not listed in a subitem below;

(2) any statewide constitutional officer, in the case of himself;

(3) the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, in the case of a member of the Senate; or

(4) the Speaker of the House, in the case of a member of the House of Representatives.

Section 2-17-110. (A) A lobbyist may not solicit or accept compensation dependent in any manner upon the passage or defeat of any pending or proposed legislation, covered agency actions, or covered gubernatorial actions. A lobbyist's principal may not employ, appoint, or retain a lobbyist for compensation dependent in any manner upon the passage or defeat of any pending or proposed legislation, covered agency actions, or covered gubernatorial actions.

(B) A lobbyist may not cause the introduction of legislation, covered agency actions, or covered gubernatorial actions for the purpose of obtaining employment to engage in lobbying in support of or in opposition to the action.

(D) A lobbyist may not serve as a member of a state board or state commission, except that any lobbyist serving as a member of a state board or a state commission before January 1, 1991, may continue to serve as a member of the same state board or state commission until the end of his current term.

(E) A lobbyist, including a lobbyist who is a former member of the General Assembly, may not enter the floor of the House of Representatives or the Senate unless invited by the membership of the respective chamber during a session of the General Assembly.

(F) A lobbyist, a lobbyist's principal, or a person acting on behalf of a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal may not host events to raise funds for public officials. No public official may solicit a lobbyist, a lobbyist's principal, or a person acting on behalf of a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal to host a fundraising event for the public official.

(G) A lobbyist, a lobbyist's principal, or a person acting on behalf of a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal may not employ on retainer a public official, a public employee, a member of the immediate family of a public official or public employee, or a firm or organization in which the public official or public employee has an economic interest. A retainer, for purposes of this section, is a payment for availability to perform services rather than for actual services rendered.

(H) A lobbyist, a lobbyist's principal, or a person acting on behalf of a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal shall not pay an honorarium to a public official or a public employee. This subsection does not prohibit the reimbursement of or expenditure for actual expenses by a lobbyist's principal as allowed in Section 2-17-100.

(I) A lobbyist, a lobbyist's principal, or a person acting on behalf of a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal may not offer, facilitate, or provide a loan to or on behalf of a statewide constitutional officer or a member of the General Assembly unless the lobbyist's principal is a financial institution authorized to transact business in the State and makes the loan in the ordinary course of business.

Section 2-17-120. A lobbyist who is indicted in a state or federal court for a violation of this chapter must be suspended immediately from acting as a lobbyist by the Secretary of State. The suspension shall remain in effect until the lobbyist is acquitted, the charge is dismissed, or the lobbyist becomes subject to Section 2-17-130.

Section 2-17-130. (A) A lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal who wilfully violates the provisions of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than two thousand five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. In addition, any lobbyist or lobbyist's principal convicted of or pleading guilty or nolo contendere to a misdemeanor under the provisions of this section is barred from acting as a lobbyist or a lobbyist's principal for a period of three years from the date of the conviction.

(B) A member of the General Assembly, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, any other statewide constitutional officer, any public official of any state agency who engaged in covered agency actions, or any of their employees who wilfully violate the provisions of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than two thousand five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.

(C) The payment of any fines does not in any way excuse or exempt any person required to file from the filing requirements of this chapter.

Section 2-17-140. If an alleged violation is found to be groundless by the Secretary of State, the entire matter must be stricken from public record. If the Secretary of State finds that the complaining party wilfully filed a groundless complaint, the finding must be reported to the Attorney General. The wilful filing of a groundless complaint by a person with the Secretary of State is a misdemeanor, and the person filing a complaint, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars. In lieu of the criminal penalty provided by this section, a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars may be assessed against the complainant upon proof, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the filing of the complaint was wilful and without just cause or with malice.

Section 2-17-150. A prosecution for a violation of the provisions of this chapter must be commenced no later than four years after the date the violation is alleged to have occurred unless a person, who by fraud or other device, prevents discovery of the violation."

Ethics, government accountability, and campaign reform

SECTION 3. Chapter 13, Title 8 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"CHAPTER 13

Ethics, Government Accountability,

and Campaign Reform

Article 1

General Provisions

Section 8-13-100. As used in Articles 1 through 11:

(1) (a) `Anything of value' or `thing of value' means:

(i) a pecuniary item, including money, a bank bill, or a bank note;

(ii) a promissory note, bill of exchange, an order, a draft, warrant, check, or bond given for the payment of money;

(iii) a contract, agreement, promise, or other obligation for an advance, a conveyance, forgiveness of indebtedness, deposit, distribution, loan, payment, gift, pledge, or transfer of money;

(iv) a stock, bond, note, or other investment interest in an entity;

(v) a receipt given for the payment of money or other property;

(vi) a chose-in-action;

(vii) a gift, tangible good, chattel, or an interest in a gift, tangible good, or chattel;

(viii) a loan or forgiveness of indebtedness;

(ix) a work of art, an antique, or a collectible;

(x) an automobile or other means of personal transportation;

(xii) an honorarium or compensation for services;

(xiii) a promise or offer of employment;

(xiv) any other item that is of pecuniary or compensatory worth to a person.

(b) `Anything of value' or `thing of value' does not mean:

(i) printed informational or promotional material, not to exceed ten dollars in monetary value;

(ii) items of nominal value, not to exceed ten dollars, containing or displaying promotional material;

(iii) a personalized plaque or trophy with a value that does not exceed one hundred fifty dollars;

(iv) educational material of a nominal value directly related to the public official's, public member's, or public employee's official responsibilities;

(v) an honorary degree bestowed upon a public official, public member, or public employee by a public or private university or college;

(vi) promotional or marketing items offered to the general public on the same terms and conditions without regard to status as a public official or public employee; or

(vii) a campaign contribution properly received and reported under the provisions of this chapter.

(2) `Appropriate supervisory office' means:

(a) the State Ethics Commission for all persons required to file reports under this chapter except for those members of or candidates for the office of State Senator or State Representative;

(b) the Senate Ethics Committee for members of or candidates for the office of State Senator and the House of Representatives Ethics Committee for members of or candidates for the office of State Representative.

(3) `Business' means a corporation, partnership, proprietorship, firm, an enterprise, a franchise, an association, organization, or a self-employed individual.

(4) `Business with which he is associated' means a business of which the person or a member of his immediate family is a director, an officer, owner, employee, a compensated agent, or holder of stock worth one hundred thousand dollars or more at fair market value and which constitutes five percent or more of the total outstanding stock of any class.

(5) `Candidate' means a person who seeks appointment, nomination for election, or election to a state or local office, or authorizes or knowingly permits the collection or disbursement of money for the promotion of his candidacy or election. `Candidate' does not include a person within the meaning of Section 431(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1976.

(6) `Compensation' means money, anything of value, an in-kind contribution or expenditure, or economic benefit conferred on or received by a person.

(7) `Confidential information' means information, whether transmitted orally or in writing, which is obtained by reason of the public position or office held and is of such nature that it is not, at the time of transmission, a matter of public record or public knowledge.

(8) `Consultant' means a person, other than a public official, public member, or public employee who contracts with the State, county, municipality, or a political subdivision thereof to:

(a) evaluate bids for public contracts, or

(b) award public contracts.

(9) `Contribution' means a gift, subscription, loan, guarantee upon which collection is made, forgiveness of a loan, an advance, in-kind contribution or expenditure, a deposit of money or anything of value made to a candidate or committee, as defined in Section 8-13-1300(6), for the purpose of influencing an election; or payment or compensation for the personal service of another person which is rendered for any purpose to a candidate or committee without charge. `Contribution' does not include volunteer personal services on behalf of a candidate or committee for which the volunteer receives no compensation from any source.

(10) `Corporation' means an entity organized in the corporate form under federal law or the laws of any state.

(11) (a) `Economic interest' means an interest distinct from that of the general public in a purchase, sale, lease, contract, option, or other transaction or arrangement involving property or services in which a public official, public member, or public employee may gain an economic benefit of fifty dollars or more.

(b) This definition does not prohibit a public official, public member, or public employee from participating in, voting on, or influencing or attempting to influence an official decision if the only economic interest or reasonably foreseeable benefit that may accrue to the public official, public member, or public employee is incidental to the public official's, public member's, or public employee's position or which accrues to the public official, public member, or public employee as a member of a profession, occupation, or large class to no greater extent than the economic interest or potential benefit could reasonably be foreseen to accrue to all other members of the profession, occupation, or large class.

(12) `Election' means:

(a) a general, special, primary, or runoff election;

(b) a convention or caucus of a political party held to nominate a candidate; or

(c) the election of delegates to a constitutional convention for proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of this State.

(13) `Elective office' means an office at the state, county, municipal, or political subdivision level. For the purposes of Articles 1 through 11, the term `elective office' does not include an office under the unified judicial system except that for purposes of campaign practices, campaign disclosure, and disclosure of economic interests, `elective office' includes the office of probate judge.

(14) `Expenditure' means a purchase, payment, loan, forgiveness of a loan, an advance, in-kind contribution or expenditure, a deposit, transfer of funds, a gift of money, or anything of value for any purpose.

(15) `Family member' means an individual who is:

(a) the spouse, parent, brother, sister, child, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent, or grandchild; or

(b) a member of the individual's immediate family.

(16) `Gift' means anything of value, including entertainment, food, beverage, travel, and lodging given or paid to a public official, public member, or public employee to the extent that consideration of equal or greater value is not received. A gift includes a rebate or discount on the price of anything of value unless it is made in the ordinary course of business without regard to that person's status. A gift does not include campaign contributions accepted pursuant to this chapter.

(17) `Governmental entity' means the State, a county, municipality, or political subdivision thereof with which a public official, public member, or public employee is associated or employed. `Governmental entity' also means any charitable organization or foundation, but not an athletic organization or athletic foundation which is associated with a state educational institution and which is organized to raise funds for the academic, educational, research, or building programs of a college or university.

(18) `Immediate family' means:

(a) a child residing in a candidate's, public official's, public member's, or public employee's household;

(b) a spouse of a candidate, public official, public member, or public employee; or

(c) an individual claimed by the candidate, public official, public member, or public employee or the candidate's, public official's, public member's, or public employee's spouse as a dependent for income tax purposes.

(19) `Income' means the receipt or promise of any consideration, whether or not legally enforceable.

(20) `Individual' means one human being.

(21) `Individual with whom he is associated' means an individual with whom the person or a member of his immediate family mutually has an interest in any business of which the person or a member of his immediate family is a director, officer, owner, employee, compensated agent, or holder of stock worth one hundred thousand dollars or more at fair market value and which constitutes five percent or more of the total outstanding stock of any class.

(22) `Loan' means a transfer of money, property, guarantee, or anything of value in exchange for an obligation, conditional or not, to repay in whole or in part.

(23) `Official responsibility' means the direct administrative or operating authority, whether intermediate or final and whether exercisable personally or through subordinates, to approve, disapprove, or otherwise direct government action.

(24) `Person' means an individual, a proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, joint stock company, syndicate, business trust, an estate, a company, committee, an association, a corporation, club, labor organization, or any other organization or group of persons acting in concert.

(25) `Public employee' means a person employed by the State, a county, a municipality, or a political subdivision thereof.

(26) `Public member' means an individual appointed to a noncompensated part-time position on a board, commission, or council. A public member does not lose this status by receiving reimbursement of expenses or a per diem payment for services.

(27) `Public official' means an elected or appointed official of the State, a county, a municipality, or a political subdivision thereof, including candidates for the office. `Public official' does not mean a member of the judiciary except that for the purposes of campaign practices, campaign disclosure, and disclosure of economic interests, a probate judge is considered a public official and must meet the requirements of this chapter.

(28) `Represent' or `representation' means making an appearance, whether gratuitous or for compensation, before a state agency, office, department, division, bureau, board, commission, or council, including the General Assembly, or before a local or regional government office, department, division, bureau, board, or commission.

(29) `Substantial monetary value' means a monetary value of five hundred dollars or more.

Article 3

State Ethics Commission

Section 8-13-310. (A) The State Ethics Commission as constituted under law in effect before July 1, 1992, is reconstituted to continue in existence with the appointment and qualification of the at-large members as prescribed in this section and with the changes in duties and powers as prescribed in this chapter. On July 1, 1993, when the duties and powers given to the Secretary of State in Chapter 17 of Title 2 are transferred to the State Ethics Commission, the Code Commissioner is directed to change all references to `this chapter' in Article 3 of Chapter 13 of Title 8 to `this chapter and Chapter 17 of Title 2'.

(B) There is created the State Ethics Commission composed of nine members appointed by the Governor, upon the advice and consent of the General Assembly. One member shall represent each of the six congressional districts, and three members must be appointed from the State at large. No member of the General Assembly or other public official shall be eligible to serve on the State Ethics Commission. The Governor shall make the appointments based on merit regardless of race, color, creed, or gender and shall strive to assure that the membership of the commission is representative of all citizens of the State of South Carolina.

(C) The terms of the members are for five years and until their successors are appointed and qualify. The members of the State Ethics Commission serving on this chapter's effective date may continue to serve until the expiration of their terms. These members may then be appointed to serve one full five-year term under the provisions of this chapter. Members representing the first, third, and sixth congressional districts on this chapter's effective date are eligible to be appointed for a full five-year term in or after 1991. Members currently representing the second, fourth, and fifth congressional districts on this chapter's effective date are eligible to be appointed for a full five-year term in or after 1993. The initial appointments for the at-large members of the commission created by this chapter must be for a one-, two-, or three-year term, but these at-large members are eligible subsequently for a full five-year term. Under this section, the at-large members of the commission are to be appointed to begin service on or after July 1, 1992. Vacancies must be filled in the manner of the original appointment for the unexpired portion of the term only. Members of the commission who have completed a full five-year term are not eligible for reappointment.

(D) The commission shall elect a chairman, a vice-chairman, and such other officers as it considers necessary. Five members of the commission shall constitute a quorum. The commission must adopt a policy concerning the attendance of its members at commission meetings. The commission meets at the call of the chairman or a majority of its members. Members of the commission, while serving on business of the commission, receive per diem, mileage, and subsistence as is provided by law for members of state boards, committees, and commissions.

Section 8-13-320. The State Ethics Commission has these duties and powers:

(1) to prescribe forms for statements required to be filed by this chapter and to furnish these forms to persons required to file them;

(2) to prepare and publish a manual setting forth recommended uniform methods of reporting for use by persons required to file statements required by this chapter;

(3) to accept and file information voluntarily supplied that exceeds the requirements of this chapter;

(4) to develop a filing, coding, and cross-indexing system consonant with the purposes of this chapter;

(5) to make the notices of registration and reports filed available for public inspection and copying as soon as may be practicable after receipt of them and to permit copying of a report or statement by hand or by duplicating machine, as requested by a person, at the expense of the person;

(6) to preserve the originals or copies of notices and reports for four years from date of receipt;

(7) to ascertain whether a person has failed to comply fully and accurately with the disclosure requirements of this chapter and promptly to notify the person to file the necessary notices and reports to satisfy the requirements of this chapter or regulations promulgated by the commission under this chapter;

(8) to request the Attorney General, in the name of the commission, to initiate, prosecute, defend, or appear in a civil or criminal action for the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this chapter, including a civil proceeding for injunctive relief and presentation to a grand jury;

(9) to initiate or receive complaints and make investigations, as provided in item (10), of statements filed or allegedly failed to be filed under the provisions of this chapter and, upon complaint by an individual, of an alleged violation of this chapter by a public official, public member, or public employee except members of or candidates for the General Assembly unless otherwise provided for under House or Senate rules.

(a) The commission may commence an investigation on the filing of a complaint by an individual or by the commission, as provided in item (10)(d), upon a majority vote of the total membership of the commission.

(b) No complaint may be accepted by the commission concerning a candidate for elective office in the fifty-day period before an election in which he is a candidate. Action on a complaint filed against a candidate which was received more than fifty days before the election and which cannot be disposed of or dismissed by the commission at least thirty days before the election must be postponed until after the election.

(c) If an alleged violation is found to be groundless by the commission, the entire matter must be stricken from public record. If the commission finds that the complaining party wilfully filed a groundless complaint, the finding must be reported to the Attorney General. The wilful filing of a groundless complaint is a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, a person must be fined not more than one thousand dollars. In lieu of the criminal penalty provided by this item, a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars may be assessed against the complainant upon proof, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the filing of the complaint was wilful and without just cause or with malice.

(d) Action may not be taken on a complaint filed more than four years after the violation is alleged to have occurred unless a person, by fraud or other device, prevents discovery of the violation. The Attorney General may initiate an action to recover a fee, compensation, gift, or profit received by a person as a result of a violation of the chapter no later than one year after a determination by the commission that a violation of this chapter has occurred;

(10) to conduct its investigations, inquiries, and hearings in this manner:

(a) The commission shall accept from an individual, whether personally or on behalf of an organization or governmental body, a verified complaint, in writing, that states the name of a person alleged to have committed a violation of this chapter and the particulars of the violation. The commission shall forward a copy of the complaint, a general statement of the applicable law with respect to the complaint, and a statement explaining the due process rights of the respondent including, but not limited to, the right to counsel to the respondent within ten days of the filing of the complaint.

(b) If the commission or its executive director determines that the complaint does not allege facts sufficient to constitute a violation, the commission shall dismiss the complaint and notify the complainant and respondent, and the entire matter must be stricken from public record unless the respondent, by written authorization, waives the confidentiality of the existence of the complaint and authorizes the release of information about the disposition of the complaint.

(c) If the commission or its executive director determines that the complaint alleges facts sufficient to constitute a violation, an investigation may be conducted of the alleged violation.

(d) If the commission, upon the receipt of any information, finds probable cause to believe that a violation of the chapter has occurred, it may, upon its own motion and an affirmative vote of the majority of the total membership of the commission, file a verified complaint, in writing, that states the name of the person alleged to have committed a violation of this chapter and the particulars of the violation. The commission shall forward a copy of the complaint, a general statement of the applicable law with respect to the complaint, and a statement explaining the due process rights of the respondent including, but not limited to, the right to counsel to the respondent within ten days of the filing of the complaint.

(e) If the commission determines that assistance is needed in conducting an investigation, the commission shall request the assistance of appropriate agencies.

(f) The commission may order testimony to be taken in any investigation or hearing by deposition before a person who is designated by the commission and has the power to administer oaths and, in these instances, to compel testimony. The commission may administer oaths and affirmation for the testimony of witnesses and issue subpoenas by approval of the chairman, subject to judicial enforcement, and issue subpoenas for the procurement of witnesses and materials including books, papers, records, documents, or other tangible objects relevant to the agency's investigation by affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the commission, subject to judicial enforcement. A person to whom a subpoena has been issued may move before a commission panel or the commission for an order quashing a subpoena issued under this section.

(g) All investigations, inquiries, hearings, and accompanying documents must remain confidential until final disposition of a matter unless the respondent waives the right to confidentiality. The wilful release of confidential information is a misdemeanor, and any person releasing such confidential information, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars.

(h) The commission must afford a public official, public member, public employee, lobbyist, or lobbyist's principal who is the subject of a complaint the opportunity to be heard on the alleged violation under oath, the opportunity to offer information, and the appropriate due process rights including, but not limited to, the right to counsel. The commission, in its discretion, may turn over to the Attorney General for prosecution apparent evidence of a violation of the chapter.

(i) At the conclusion of its investigation, the commission staff, in a preliminary written decision with findings of fact and conclusions of law, must make a recommendation whether probable cause exists to believe that a violation of this chapter has occurred. If the commission determines that probable cause does not exist, it shall send a written decision with findings of fact and conclusions of law to the respondent and the complainant. If the commission determines that there is probable cause to believe that a violation has been committed, its preliminary decision may contain an order setting forth a date for a hearing before a panel of three commissioners, selected at random, to determine whether a violation of the chapter has occurred. If the commission finds probable cause to believe that a violation of this chapter has occurred, the commission may waive further proceedings if the respondent takes action to remedy or correct the alleged violation.

(j) If a hearing is to be held, the respondent must be allowed to examine and make copies of all evidence in the commission's possession relating to the charges. The same discovery techniques which are available to the commission must be equally available to the respondent, including the right to request the commission to subpoena witnesses or materials and the right to conduct depositions as prescribed by subitem (f). A panel of three commissioners must conduct a hearing in accordance with Chapter 23 of Title 1 (Administrative Procedures Act), except as otherwise expressly provided. Panel action requires the participation of the three panel members. During a commission panel hearing conducted to determine whether a violation of the chapter has occurred, the respondent must be afforded appropriate due process protections, including the right to be represented by counsel, the right to call and examine witnesses, the right to introduce exhibits, and the right to cross-examine opposing witnesses. All evidence, including records the commission considers, must be offered fully and made a part of the record in the proceedings. The hearings must be held in executive session unless the respondent requests an open hearing.

(k) No later than sixty days after the conclusion of a hearing to determine whether a violation of the chapter has occurred, the commission panel must set forth its determination in a written decision with findings of fact and conclusions of law. The commission panel, where appropriate, shall recommend disciplinary or administrative action, or in the case of an alleged criminal violation, refer the matter to the Attorney General for appropriate action. The Attorney General may seek injunctive relief or may take other appropriate action as necessary. In the case of a public employee, the commission panel shall file a report to the administrative department executive responsible for the activities of the employee. If the complaint is filed against an administrative department executive, the commission panel shall refer the case to the Governor.

(l) The written decision as provided for in subitem (k) may set forth an order:

(i) requiring the public official, public member, or public employee to pay a civil penalty of not more than two thousand dollars for each violation;

(ii) requiring the forfeiture of gifts, receipts, or profits, or the value thereof, obtained in violation of the chapter, voiding nonlegislative state action obtained in violation of the chapter; or

(iii) requiring a combination of subitems (i) and (ii) above, as necessary and appropriate.

(m) Within ten days after service of an order, report, or recommendation, a respondent may apply to the commission for a full commission review of the decision made by the commission panel. The review must be made on the record established in the panel hearings. This review is the final disposition of the complaint before the commission. An appeal to the circuit court, pursuant to Section 1-23-380, stays all actions and recommendations of the commission unless otherwise determined by the circuit court.

(n) A fine imposed by the commission, disciplinary action taken by an appropriate authority, or a determination not to take disciplinary action made by an appropriate authority is public record. This section does not limit the power of either chamber of the General Assembly to impeach a public official or limit the power of a department to discipline its own officials or employees. This section does not preclude prosecution of public officials, public members, or public employees for violation of any law of this State.

(o) All actions taken by the commission on complaints, except on alleged violations which are found to be groundless by the commission, are a matter of public record upon final disposition;

(11) to issue, upon request from persons covered by this chapter, and publish advisory opinions on the requirements of this chapter, based on real or hypothetical sets of circumstances; provided, that an opinion rendered by the commission, until amended or revoked, is binding on the commission in any subsequent charges concerning the person who requested the opinion and who acted in reliance on it in good faith unless material facts were omitted or misstated by the person in the request for the opinion. Advisory opinions must be in writing and are considered rendered when approved by five or more commission members subscribing to the advisory opinion. Advisory opinions must be made available to the public unless the commission, by majority vote of the total membership of the commission, requires an opinion to remain confidential. However, the identities of the parties involved must be withheld upon request;

(12) to promulgate and publish rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this chapter. Provided, that with respect to complaints, investigations, and hearings the rights of due process as expressed in the Rules Governing the Practice of Law must be followed;

(13) on and after July 1, 1993, to administer Chapter 17 of Title 2 by use of the duties and powers listed in this section.

Section 8-13-330. (A) The commission may employ and remove, at its pleasure, an executive director. The executive director has the responsibility for employing and terminating other personnel as may be necessary. The executive director administers the daily business of the commission and performs duties assigned by the commission.

(B) No member or employee of the commission may be a candidate, an official in a political party, or a lobbyist. Other than by virtue of membership on or employment with the State Ethics Commission, no member or employee of the commission may be a public official, public member, or public employee.

(C) No member of the commission or its staff may participate in political management or in a political campaign during the member's or employee's term of office or employment. No member of the commission or its staff may make a contribution to a candidate or knowingly attend a fundraiser held for the benefit of a candidate. Violation of this provision subjects the employee to immediate dismissal and the commissioner to removal by the Governor.

Section 8-13-340. The State Ethics Commission at the close of each fiscal year shall report to the General Assembly and the Governor concerning the action it has taken, the names, salaries, and duties of all persons in its employ, and the money it has disbursed and shall make other reports on matters within its jurisdiction and recommendations for further legislation as may appear desirable.

Section 8-13-350. When hired, filing for office, or appointed and upon assuming the duties of employment, office, or position in state government, a public official, public member, and public employee shall receive a brochure prepared by the State Ethics Commission describing the general application of this chapter.

Section 8-13-360. Upon request, the commission shall make statements and reports filed with the commission available for public inspection and copying during regular office hours. The commission shall provide copying facilities at a cost not to exceed the actual cost. A statement may be requested by mail, and the commission shall mail a copy of the requested information to the individual making the request upon payment of appropriate postage, copying costs, and employee labor costs. The commission shall publish and make available to the public and to persons subject to this chapter explanatory information concerning this chapter, the duties imposed by this chapter, and the means for enforcing this chapter.

Article 5

Senate and House of Representatives

Ethics Committees

Section 8-13-510. There is created a House of Representatives Legislative Ethics Committee and a Senate Legislative Ethics Committee. Each ethics committee is composed of six members. Terms are coterminous with the term for which members are elected to the House or Senate. Vacancies must be filled for the unexpired term in the manner of the original selection. The members of each ethics committee must be elected by the House or the Senate, as appropriate. One member of each ethics committee must be elected as chairman by a majority of the members of the ethics committee.

Section 8-13-520. Each ethics committee shall meet and recommend any changes in the law or rules relating to ethics considered proper to their respective houses. Changes recommended must be consistent with the Constitution of the State of South Carolina, the provisions of this chapter, and any other applicable law.

Section 8-13-530. Each ethics committee shall:

(1) upon the filing of a complaint, investigate possible violations of breach of a privilege governing a member of the appropriate house, the alleged breach of a rule governing a member of or candidate for the appropriate house, misconduct of a member of or candidate for the appropriate house, or a violation of this chapter or Chapter 17 of Title 2;

(2) receive and hear a complaint which alleges a breach of a privilege governing a member of the appropriate house, the alleged breach of a rule governing a member of or candidate for the appropriate house, misconduct of a member of or candidate for the appropriate house, or a violation of this chapter or Chapter 17 of Title 2. No complaint may be accepted by the ethics committee concerning a member of or candidate for the appropriate house in the fifty-day period before an election in which the member or candidate is a candidate. Action on a complaint filed against a member or candidate which was received more than fifty days before the election and which cannot be disposed of or dismissed by the ethics committee at least thirty days before the election must be postponed until after the election;

(3) obtain information and investigate complaints as provided in Section 8-13-540 with respect to any complaint filed pursuant to this chapter or Chapter 17 of Title 2 and to that end may compel by subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of pertinent books and papers;

(4) administer or recommend sanctions appropriate to a particular member of or candidate for the appropriate house pursuant to Section 8-13-540 or dismiss the charges; and

(5) act as an advisory body to the General Assembly and to individual members of or candidates for the appropriate house on questions pertaining to the disclosure and filing requirements of members of or candidates for the appropriate house.

Section 8-13-540. Unless otherwise provided for by House or Senate rule, as appropriate, each ethics committee must conduct its investigation of a complaint filed pursuant to this chapter or Chapter 17 of Title 2 in accordance with this section.

(1) When a complaint is filed with or by the ethics committee, a copy must promptly be sent to the person alleged to have committed the violation. If the ethics committee determines the complaint does not allege facts sufficient to constitute a violation, the complaint must be dismissed and the complainant and respondent notified. If the ethics committee finds that the complaining party wilfully filed a groundless complaint, the finding must be reported to appropriate law enforcement authorities. The wilful filing of a groundless complaint is a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, a person must be fined not more than one thousand dollars. In lieu of the criminal penalty provided by this subsection, a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars may be assessed against the complainant upon proof, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the filing of the complaint was wilful and without just cause or with malice. If the ethics committee determines the complaint alleges facts sufficient to constitute a violation, it shall promptly investigate the alleged violation and may compel by subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of pertinent books and papers.

If after such preliminary investigation, the ethics committee finds that probable cause exists to support an alleged violation, it shall, as appropriate:

(a) render an advisory opinion to the respondent and require the respondent's compliance within a reasonable time; or

(b) convene a formal hearing on the matter within thirty days of the respondent's failure to comply with the advisory opinion. All ethics committee investigations and records relating to the preliminary investigation are confidential. No complaint shall be accepted which is filed later than four years after the alleged violation occurred.

(2) If a hearing is to be held, the respondent must be allowed to examine and make copies of all evidence in the ethics committee's possession relating to the charges. At the hearing the charged party must be afforded appropriate due process protections, including the right to be represented by counsel, the right to call and examine witnesses, the right to introduce exhibits, and the right to cross-examine opposing witnesses. All hearings must be conducted in executive session.

(3) After the hearing, the ethics committee shall determine its findings of fact. If the ethics committee, based on competent and substantial evidence, finds the respondent has violated this chapter or Chapter 17 of Title 2, it shall:

(a) administer a public or private reprimand;

(b) determine that a technical violation as provided for in Section 8-13-1170 has occurred;

(d) in the case of an alleged criminal violation, refer the matter to the Attorney General for investigation.

The ethics committee shall report its findings in writing to the Speaker of the House or President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as appropriate. The report must be accompanied by an order of punishment and supported and signed by a majority of the ethics committee members. If the ethics committee finds the respondent has not violated a code or statutory provision, it shall dismiss the charges.

(4) An individual has ten days from the date of the notification of the ethics committee's action to appeal the action to the full legislative body.

(5) No ethics committee member may participate in any matter in which he is involved.

(6) The ethics committee shall establish procedures which afford respondents appropriate due process protections, including the right to be represented by counsel, the right to call and examine witnesses, the right to introduce exhibits, and the right to cross-examine opposing witnesses.

Section 8-13-550. (A) Upon receipt of a recommendation of expulsion or an appeal from an order of the ethics committee made pursuant to the provisions of Section 8-13-540, the presiding officer of the House or Senate shall call the House or Senate into open session at a time to be determined at his discretion or in executive session if the House or Senate chooses, as a committee of the whole, to consider the action of the ethics committee. The House or Senate shall sustain or overrule the ethics committee's action or order other action consistent with this chapter or Chapter 17 of Title 2.

(B) Upon consideration of an ethics committee report by the House or the Senate, whether in executive or open session, the results of the consideration, except in the case of the issuance of a private reprimand, are a matter of public record.

Section 8-13-560. Unless otherwise currently or hereafter provided for by House or Senate rule, as is appropriate:

(1) A member of the General Assembly who is indicted in a state court or a federal court for a crime that is a felony, a crime that involves moral turpitude, a crime that has a sentence of two or more years, or a crime that violates election laws must be suspended immediately without pay by the presiding officer of the House or Senate, as appropriate. The suspension remains in effect until the public official is acquitted, convicted, pleads guilty, or pleads nolo contendere. In the case of a conviction, the office must be declared vacant. In the event of an acquittal or dismissal of charges against the public official, he is entitled to reinstatement and back pay.

(2) If the public official is involved in an election between the time of the suspension and final conclusion of the indictment, the presiding officer of the House or Senate, or the Governor, as appropriate, shall again suspend him at the beginning of his next term. The suspended public official may not participate in the business of his public office.

Article 7

Rules of Conduct

Section 8-13-700. (A) No public official, public member, or public employee may knowingly use his official office, membership, or employment to obtain an economic interest for himself, a member of his immediate family, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated. This prohibition does not extend to the incidental use of public materials, personnel, or equipment, subject to or available for a public official's, public member's, or public employee's use which does not result in additional public expense.

(B) No public official, public member, or public employee may make, participate in making, or in any way attempt to use his office, membership, or employment to influence a governmental decision in which he, a member of his immediate family, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated has an economic interest. A public official, public member, or public employee who, in the discharge of his official responsibilities, is required to take an action or make a decision which affects an economic interest of himself, a member of his immediate family, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated shall:

(1) prepare a written statement describing the matter requiring action or decisions and the nature of his potential conflict of interest with respect to the action or decision;

(2) if the public official is a member of the General Assembly, he shall deliver a copy of the statement to the presiding officer of the appropriate house. The presiding officer shall have the statement printed in the appropriate journal and require that the member of the General Assembly be excused from votes, deliberations, and other action on the matter on which a potential conflict exists;

(3) if he is a public employee, he shall furnish a copy of the statement to his superior, if any, who shall assign the matter to another employee who does not have a potential conflict of interest. If he has no immediate superior, he shall take the action prescribed by the State Ethics Commission;

(4) if he is a public official, other than a member of the General Assembly, he shall furnish a copy of the statement to the presiding officer of the governing body of any agency, commission, board, or of any county, municipality, or a political subdivision thereof, on which he serves, who shall cause the statement to be printed in the minutes and require that the member be excused from any votes, deliberations, and other actions on the matter on which the potential conflict of interest exists and shall cause the disqualification and the reasons for it to be noted in the minutes;

(5) if he is a public member, he shall furnish a copy to the presiding officer of any agency, commission, board, or of any county, municipality, or a political subdivision thereof, on which he serves, who shall cause the statement to be printed in the minutes and shall require that the member be excused from any votes, deliberations, and other actions on the matter on which the potential conflict of interest exists and shall cause such disqualification and the reasons for it to be noted in the minutes.

(C) Where a public official, public member, or public employee or a member of his immediate family holds an economic interest in a blind trust, he is not considered to have a conflict of interest with regard to matters pertaining to that economic interest, if the existence of the blind trust has been disclosed to the appropriate supervisory office.

(D) The provisions of this section do not apply to any court in the unified judicial system.

(E) When a member of the General Assembly is required by law to appear because of his business interest as an owner or officer of the business or in his official capacity as a member of the General Assembly, this section does not apply.

Section 8-13-705. (A) A person may not, directly or indirectly, give, offer, or promise anything of value to a public official, public member, or public employee with the intent to:

(1) influence the discharge of a public official's, public member's, or public employee's official responsibilities;

(2) influence a public official, public member, or public employee to commit, aid in committing, collude in, or allow fraud on a governmental entity; or

(3) induce a public official, public member, or public employee to perform or fail to perform an act in violation of the public official's, public member's, or public employee's official responsibilities.

(B) A public official, public member, or public employee may not, directly or indirectly, knowingly ask, demand, exact, solicit, seek, accept, assign, receive, or agree to receive anything of value for himself or for another person in return for being:

(1) influenced in the discharge of his official responsibilities;

(2) influenced to commit, aid in committing, collude in, allow fraud, or make an opportunity for the commission of fraud on a governmental entity; or

(3) induced to perform or fail to perform an act in violation of his official responsibilities.

(C) A person may not, directly or indirectly, give, offer, or promise to give anything of value to another person with intent to influence testimony under oath or affirmation in a trial or other proceeding before:

(1) a court;

(2) a committee of either house or both houses of the General Assembly; or

(3) an agency, commission, or officer authorized to hear evidence or take testimony or with intent to influence a witness to fail to appear.

(D) A person may not, directly or indirectly, ask, demand, exact, solicit, seek, accept, assign, receive, or agree to receive anything of value in return for influencing testimony under oath or affirmation in a trial or other proceeding before:

(1) a court;

(2) a committee of either house or both houses of the General Assembly; or

(3) an agency, commission, or officer authorized to hear evidence or take testimony, or with intent to influence a witness to fail to appear.

(E) Subsections (C) and (D) of this section do not prohibit the payment or receipt of witness fees provided by law or the payment by the party on whose behalf a witness is called and receipt by a witness of the reasonable costs of travel and subsistence at trial, hearing, or proceeding, or, in the case of an expert witness, of the reasonable fee for time spent in the preparation of the opinion and in appearing or testifying.

(F) A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be punished by imprisonment for not more than ten years and a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars and is permanently disqualified from being a public official or a public member. A public official, public member, or public employee who violates the provisions of this section forfeits his public office, membership, or employment.

(G) This section does not apply to political contributions unless the contributions are conditioned upon the performance of specific actions of the person accepting the contributions nor does it prohibit a parent, grandparent, or other close relative from making a gift to a child, grandchild, or other close relative for love and affection except as otherwise provided.

Section 8-13-710. (A) Unless provided by subsection (B) and in addition to the requirements of Chapter 17 of Title 2, a public official or public employee required to file a statement of economic interests under Section 8-13-1110 who accepts anything of value from a lobbyist's principal must report the value of anything received on his statement of economic interests pursuant to Section 8-13-1120(A)(9).

(B) A public official, public member, or public employee required to file a statement of economic interests under Section 8-13-1110 who receives, accepts, or takes, directly or indirectly, from a person, anything of value worth twenty-five dollars or more in a day and anything of value worth two hundred dollars or more in the aggregate in a calendar year must report on his statement of economic interests pursuant to Section 8-13-1120 the thing of value from:

(1) a person, if there is reason to believe the donor would not give the thing of value but for the public official's, public member's, or public employee's office or position;

(2) a person, or from an officer or director of a person, if the public official, public member, or public employee has reason to believe the person:

(a) has or is seeking to obtain contractual or other business or financial relationships with the public official's, public member's, or public employee's governmental entity;

(b) conducts operations or activities which are regulated by the public official's, public member's, or public employee's governmental entity.

(C) Nothing in this section requires a public official, public member, or public employee to report a gift from a parent, grandparent, or relative to a child, grandchild, or other immediate family member for love and affection.

Section 8-13-715. A public official, public member, or public employee acting in an official capacity may not receive anything of value for speaking before a public or private group. Notwithstanding the limitations of Section 2-17-90, a public official or public member may receive payment or reimbursement for actual expenses incurred for a speaking engagement. The expenses must be reasonable and must be incurred in a reasonable time and manner in which to accomplish the purpose of the engagement. If the expenses are incurred out of state, the public official or public member incurring the expenses must receive prior written approval for the payment or reimbursement from:

(1) the Governor, in the case of a public official of a state agency who is not listed in an item in this section;

(2) a statewide constitutional officer, in the case of himself;

(3) the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, in the case of a member of the Senate;

(4) the Speaker of the House, in the case of a member of the House of Representatives; or

(5) the chief executive of the governmental entity in all other cases.

Section 8-13-720. No person may offer or pay to a public official, public member, or public employee and no public official, public member, or public employee may solicit or receive money in addition to that received by the public official, public member, or public employee in his official capacity for advice or assistance given in the course of his employment as a public official, public member, or public employee.

Section 8-13-725. No public official, public member, or public employee may use or disclose confidential information gained in the course of or by reason of his official responsibilities in any way that would affect an economic interest held by himself, a member of his immediate family, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated.

Section 8-13-730. Unless otherwise provided by law, no person may serve as a member of a governmental regulatory agency that regulates any business with which that person is associated. An employee of the regulatory agency which regulates a business with which he is associated annually shall file a statement of economic interests notwithstanding the provisions of Section 8-13-1110. No person may be an employee of the regulatory agency which regulates a business with which he is associated if this relationship creates a continuing or frequent conflict with the performance of his official responsibilities.

Section 8-13-735. No person who serves at the same time on:

(1) the governing body of a state, county, municipal, or political subdivision board or commission, and

(2) as an employee of the same board or commission or serves in a position which is subject to the control of that board or commission may make or participate in making a decision which affects his economic interests.

Section 8-13-740. (A) (1) A public official occupying statewide office, a member of his immediate family, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated may not knowingly represent another person before a governmental entity, except as otherwise required by law.

(2) A member of the General Assembly, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated may not knowingly represent another person before a governmental entity, except:

(a) as required by law;

(b) before a court under the unified judicial system; or

(c) in a contested case, as defined in Section 1-23-310, excluding a contested case for a rate or price fixing matter before the South Carolina Public Service Commission or South Carolina Insurance Commission, or in an agency's consideration of the drafting and promulgation of regulations under Chapter 23 of Title 1 in a public hearing.

(3) A public member occupying statewide office, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated may not knowingly represent another person before the same unit or division of the governmental entity for which the public member has official responsibility, except as otherwise required by law.

(4) A public official, public member, or public employee of a county, an individual with whom the public official, public member, or public employee is associated, or a business with which the public official, public member, or public employee is associated may not knowingly represent a person before any agency, unit, or subunit of that county except:

(a) as required by law; or

(b) before a court under the unified judicial system.

(5) A public official, public member, or public employee of a municipality, an individual with whom the public official, public member, or public employee is associated, or a business with which the public official, public member, or public employee is associated may not knowingly represent a person before any agency, unit, or subunit of that municipality except as required by law.

(6) A public employee, other than those specified in items (4) and (5) of this subsection, receiving compensation other than reimbursement or per diem payments for his official duties, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated may not knowingly represent a person before an entity on the same level of government except:

(a) as required by law;

(b) before a court under the unified judicial system; or

(7) The restrictions set forth in items (1) through (6) of this subsection do not apply to:

(a) purely ministerial matters which do not require discretion on the part of the governmental entity before which the public official, public member, or public employee is appearing;

(b) representation by a public official, public member, or public employee in the course of the public official's, public member's, or public employee's official duties;

(c) representation by the public official, public member, or public employee in matters relating to the public official's, public member's, or public employee's personal affairs or the personal affairs of the public official's, public member's, or public employee's immediate family.

(B) A member of the General Assembly, when he, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated represents a client for compensation as permitted by subsection (A)(2)(c), must file within his annual statement of economic interests a listing of fees earned, services rendered, names of persons represented, and the nature of contacts made with the governmental entities.

(C) A member of the General Assembly may not vote on the section of that year's general appropriation bill relating to a particular agency or commission if the member, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated has represented any client before that agency or commission as permitted by subsection (A)(2)(c) within one year prior to such vote. This subsection does not prohibit a member from voting on other sections of the general appropriation bill or from voting on the general appropriation bill as a whole.

Section 8-13-745. (A) No member of the General Assembly or an individual with whom he is associated or business with which he is associated may represent a client for a fee in a contested case, as defined in Section 1-23-310, before an agency, a commission, board, department, or other entity if the member of the General Assembly has voted in the election, appointment, recommendation, or confirmation of a member of the governing body of the agency, board, department, or other entity within the twelve preceding months.

(B) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, after the effective date of this section, no member of the General Assembly or any individual with whom he is associated or business with which he is associated may represent a client for a fee in a contested case, as defined in Section 1-23-310, before an agency, a commission, board, department, or other entity elected, appointed, recommended, or confirmed by the House, the Senate, or the General Assembly if that member has voted on the section of that year's general appropriation bill or supplemental appropriation bill relating to that agency, commission, board, department, or other entity within one year from the date of the vote. This subsection does not prohibit a member from voting on other sections of the general appropriation bill or from voting on the general appropriation bill as a whole.

(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, after the effective date of this section, no member of the General Assembly or an individual with whom he is associated in partnership or a business, company, corporation, or partnership where his interest is greater than five percent may enter into any contract for goods or services with an agency, a commission, board, department, or other entity funded with general funds or other funds if the member has voted on the section of that year's appropriation bill relating to that agency, commission, board, department, or other entity within one year from the date of the vote. This subsection does not prohibit a member from voting on other sections of the appropriation bill or from voting on the general appropriation bill as a whole.

(D) The provisions of this section do not apply to any court in the unified judicial system.

(F) The provisions of subsections (A), (B), and (C) do not apply in the case of any vote or action taken by a member of the General Assembly prior to January 1, 1992.

Section 8-13-750. (A) No public official, public member, or public employee may cause the employment, appointment, promotion, transfer, or advancement of a family member to a state or local office or position in which the public official, public member, or public employee supervises or manages.

(B) A public official, public member, or public employee may not participate in an action relating to the discipline of the public official's, public member's, or public employee's family member.

Section 8-13-755. A former public official, former public member, or former public employee holding public office, membership, or employment on or after January 1, 1992, may not for a period of one year after terminating his public service or employment:

(1) serve as a lobbyist or represent clients before the agency or department on which he formerly served in a matter which he directly and substantially participated during his public service or employment; or

(2) accept employment if the employment:

(a) is from a person who is regulated by the agency or department on which the former public official, former public member, or former public employee served or was employed; and

(b) involves a matter in which the former public official, former public member, or former public employee directly and substantially participated during his public service or public employment.

Section 8-13-760. Except as is permitted by regulations of the State Ethics Commission, it is a breach of ethical standards for a public official, public member, or public employee who is participating directly in procurement, as defined in Section 11-35-310(22), to resign and accept employment with a person contracting with the governmental body if the contract falls or would fall under the public official's, public member's, or public employee's official responsibilities.

Section 8-13-765. (A) No person may use government personnel, equipment, materials, or an office building in an election campaign. The provisions of this subsection do not apply to a public official's use of an official residence.

(B) A government, however, may rent or provide public facilities for political meetings and other campaign-related purposes if they are available on similar terms to all candidates and committees, as defined in Section 8-13-1300(6).

(C) This section does not prohibit government personnel, where not otherwise prohibited, from participating in election campaigns on their own time and on nongovernment premises.

Section 8-13-770. A member of the General Assembly may not serve in any capacity as a member of a state board or commission, except for the State Budget and Control Board, the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, the Legislative Audit Council, the Legislative Council, the Legislative Information Systems, the Reorganization Commission, the Judicial Council, the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, the Commission on Prosecution Coordination, and the joint legislative committees.

Section 8-13-775. A public official, public member, or public employee may not have an economic interest in a contract with the State or its political subdivisions if the public official, public member, or public employee is authorized to perform an official function relating to the contract. Official function means writing or preparing the contract specifications, acceptance of bids, award of the contract, or other action on the preparation or award of such contract. This section is not intended to infringe on or prohibit public employment contracts with this State or a political subdivision of this State.

Section 8-13-780. (A) The provisions of this section are in addition to all other civil and administrative remedies against public officials, public members, or public employees which are provided by law.

(B) In addition to existing remedies for breach of the ethical standards of this chapter or regulations promulgated hereunder, the State Ethics Commission may impose an oral or written warning or reprimand.

(C) The value of anything received by a public official, public member, or public employee in breach of the ethical standards of this chapter or regulations promulgated hereunder is recoverable by the State or other governmental entity in an action by the Attorney General against a person benefitting from the violations.

(D) Before a public employee's employment or a public official's or public member's association with the governmental entity is terminated for a violation of the provisions of this chapter, notice and an opportunity for a hearing must be provided to the public official, public member, or public employee.

Section 8-13-785. (A) Nothing in Chapter 13 of Title 8 prevents an elected official from communicating, in writing, with a board or commission member or employee, on behalf of a constituent relating to delays in obtaining a hearing, discourteous treatment, scheduling, or other matters not affecting the outcome of pending matters, provided that the elected official, an individual with whom the elected official is associated, or a business with which the elected official is associated is not representing the constituent for compensation.

(B) The provisions of Articles 1 through 11 of this chapter do not prohibit a public official from contracting with the State or a governmental entity when the contract is awarded in accordance with Chapter 35 of Title 11.

Section 8-13-790. (A) The value of anything transferred or received in breach of the ethical standards of Articles 1 through 11 of this chapter or regulations promulgated under it by a public employee, public official, or a nonpublic employee or official may be recovered from the public employee, public official, or nonpublic employee or official.

(B) Upon a showing that a subcontractor made a kickback to a pime contractor or a higher tier subcontractor in connection with the award of a subcontract or order under it, it is conclusively presumed that the amount of the kickback was included in the price of the subcontract or order and ultimately borne by the State or governmental entity and is recoverable hereunder from the subcontractor making the kickback. Recovery from one offending party does not preclude recovery from other offending parties.

Section 8-13-795. Nothing in Chapter 13 of Title 8 prevents a public official or a member of his immediate family from being awarded an award, a grant, or scholarship, or negatively reflects on a public official because of an award, a grant, or scholarship awarded to the public official or to a member of his immediate family on a competitive, objective basis if the public official has not wilfully contacted any person involved in the selection of the recipient, on behalf of the recipient, before the award.

Article 9

Forms and Reports by Candidates for Election

by the General Assembly

Section 8-13-910. No person who is a candidate for public office which is filled by election by the General Assembly or with the advice and consent of the Senate or the General Assembly may be voted upon by the General Assembly or either house thereof until at least ten days following the date on which the candidate files a statement of economic interests as defined in this chapter with the Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee and the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ethics Committee, as appropriate.

Section 8-13-920. A person running for an office elected by the General Assembly must file a report with the Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee and the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ethics Committee of money in excess of one hundred dollars spent by him or in his behalf in seeking the office. The report must include the period beginning with the time he first announces his intent to seek the office. The report must not include travel expenses or room and board while campaigning. Contributions made to members of the General Assembly during the period from announcement of intent to election date must be included. The report must be updated quarterly with an additional report filed five days before the election and the final report filed thirty days after the election. Persons soliciting votes on behalf of candidates must submit expenses in excess of one hundred dollars to the candidate which must be included on the candidate's report. A copy of all reports received by the Senate Ethics Committee and the House of Representatives Ethics Committee must be forwarded to the State Ethics Commission within two business days of receipt.

Section 8-13-930. No candidate for an office elected by the General Assembly may seek directly the pledge of a member of the General Assembly's vote until the qualifications of all candidates for that office have been determined by the appropriate joint committee to review candidates for that office. No member of the General Assembly may offer a pledge until the qualifications of all candidates for that office have been determined by the appropriate joint committee to review candidates for that office.

Article 11

Disclosure of Economic Interests

Section 8-13-1110. (A) No public official, regardless of compensation, and no public member or public employee as designated in subsection (B) may take the oath of office or enter upon his official responsibilities unless he has filed a statement of economic interests in accordance with the provisions of this chapter with the appropriate supervisory office. If a public official, public member, or public employee referred to in this section has no economic interests to disclose, he shall nevertheless file a statement of inactivity to that effect with the appropriate supervisory office. All disclosure statements are matters of public record open to inspection upon request.

(B) Each of the following public officials, public members, and public employees must file a statement of economic interests with the appropriate supervisory office, unless otherwise provided:

(1) a person appointed to fill the unexpired term of an elective office;

(2) a salaried member of a state board, commission, or agency;

(3) the chief administrative official or employee and the deputy or assistant administrative official or employee or director of a division, institution, or facility of any agency or department of state government;

(4) the city administrator, city manager, or chief municipal administrative official or employee, by whatever title;

(5) the county manager, county administrator, county supervisor, or chief county administrative official or employee, by whatever title;

(6) the chief administrative official or employee of each political subdivision including, but not limited to, school districts, libraries, regional planning councils, airport commissions, hospitals, community action agencies, water and sewer districts, and development commissions;

(7) a school district and county superintendent of education;

(8) a school district board member and a county board of education member;

(9) the chief finance official or employee and the chief purchasing official or employee of each agency, institution, or facility of state government, and of each county, municipality, or other political subdivision including, but not limited to, those named in item (6);

(10) a public official;

(11) a public member who serves on a state board, commission, or council;

(12) a consultant.

Section 8-13-1120. (A) A statement of economic interests filed pursuant to Section 8-13-1110 must be on forms prescribed by the State Ethics Commission and must contain full and complete information concerning:

(1) the name, business or government address, and workplace telephone number of the filer;

(2) the source, type, and amount or value of income, not to include tax refunds, of substantial monetary value received from a governmental entity by the filer or a member of the filer's immediate family during the reporting period;

(3) (a) the description, value, and location of all real property owned and options to purchase real property during the reporting period by a filer or a member of the filer's immediate family if:

(i) there have been any public improvements of more than two hundred dollars on or adjacent to the real property within the reporting period and the public improvements are known to the filer; or

(ii) the interest can reasonably be expected to be the subject of a conflict of interest; or

(b) if the sale, lease, or rental of real property is to a state, county, or municipal instrumentality of government, a copy of the contract, lease, or rental agreement must be attached to the statement of economic interests; or

(4) the sale, lease, or rental of personal property by the filer or a member of the filer's immediate family if the sale, lease, or rental of personal property is to a state, county, or municipal instrumentality of government. In the sales, leases, or rentals, a copy of the contract, lease, or rental agreement must be attached to the statement of economic interests;

(5) the identity of every business or entity in which the filer or a member of the filer's immediate family held or controlled, in the aggregate, securities or interests constituting five percent or more of the total issued and outstanding securities and interests which constitute a value of one hundred thousand dollars or more;

(6) (a) a listing by name and address of each creditor to whom the filer or member of the filer's immediate family owed a debt in excess of five hundred dollars at any time during the reporting period, other than for a credit card or retail installment contract, and the original amount of the debt and amount outstanding unless:

(i) the debt is promised or loaned by a bank, savings and loan, or other licensed financial institution which loans money in the ordinary course of its business and on terms and interest rates generally available to a member of the general public without regard to status as a public official, public member, or public employee; or

(ii) the debt is promised or loaned by an individual's family member if the person who promises or makes the loan is not acting as the agent or intermediary for someone other than a person named in this subitem; and

(b) the rate of interest charged the filer or a member of the filer's immediate family for a debt required to be reported in (a);

If a discharge of a debt required to be reported in (a) has been made, the date of the transaction must be shown.

(7) the name of any lobbyist, as defined in Section 2-17-10(13) who is:

(a) an immediate family member of the filer;

(b) an individual with whom or business with which the filer or a member of the filer's immediate family is associated;

(8) if a public official, public member, or public employee receives compensation from an individual or business which contracts with the governmental entity with which the public official, public member, or public employee serves or is employed, the public official, public member, or public employee must report the name and address of that individual or business and the amount of compensation paid to the public official, public member, or public employee by that individual or business;

(9) the source and a brief description of any gifts, including transportation, lodging, food, or entertainment received during the preceding calendar year from:

(a) a person, if there is reason to believe the donor would not give the gift, gratuity, or favor but for the official's or employee's office or position; or

(b) a person, or from an officer or director of a person, if the public official or public employee has reason to believe the person:

(i) has or is seeking to obtain contractual or other business or financial relationship with the official's or employee's agency; or

(ii) conducts operations or activities which are regulated by the official's or employee's agency if the value of the gift is twenty-five dollars or more in a day or if the value totals, in the aggregate, two hundred dollars or more in a calendar year.

(B) This article does not require the disclosure of economic interests information concerning:

(1) a spouse separated pursuant to a court order from the public official, public member, or public employee;

(2) a former spouse;

(3) a campaign contribution that is permitted and reported under Article 13 of this chapter; or

(4) matters determined to require confidentiality pursuant to Section 2-17-(90)(E).

Section 8-13-1130. In addition to the statement of economic interests required pursuant to Section 8-13-1110, a person required to file the statement shall further report to the appropriate supervisory office the name of any person he knows to be a lobbyist as defined in Section 2-17-10(13) or a lobbyist's principal as defined in Section 2-17-10(14) and knows that the lobbyist or lobbyist's principal has in the previous calendar year purchased from the filer, a member of the filer's immediate family, an individual with whom the filer is associated, or a business with which the filer is associated, goods or services in an amount in excess of two hundred dollars.

Section 8-13-1140. A person required to file a statement of economic interests under this chapter shall file an updated statement for the previous calendar year with the appropriate supervisory office annually, no later than April fifteenth of each calendar year, listing any addition, deletion, or change in his economic status with respect to which information is required to be supplied under this article. If the person has filed the description by name, amount, and schedule of payments of a continuing arrangement relating to an item required to be reported under this article, an updating statement need not be filed for each payment under the continuing arrangement, but only if the arrangement is terminated or altered.

Section 8-13-1150. A consultant must file a statement of economic interests for the previous calendar year with the appropriate supervisory office no later than twenty-one days after entering into a contractual relationship with the State or a political subdivision of the State and must file an update within ten days from the date the consultant knows or should have known that new economic interests in an entity have arisen in which the consultant or a member of the consultant's immediate family has economic interests:

(1) where the entity's bid was evaluated by the consultant and who was subsequently awarded the contract by the State, county, municipality, or a political subdivision of any of these entities that contracted with the consultant; or

(2) where the entity was awarded a contract by the consultant.

Section 8-13-1160. (A) The Senate Ethics Committee and the House of Representatives Ethics Committee must forward a copy of each statement filed with it to the State Ethics Commission within two business days of receipt.

(B) Within two business days of receipt, a copy of all statements of economic interests received by the State Ethics Commission must be forwarded to the clerk of court in the county of residence of the filing official or employee.

Section 8-13-1170. (A) The appropriate supervisory office may, in its discretion, determine that errors or omissions on statements of economic interests are inadvertent and unintentional and not an effort to violate a requirement of this chapter and may be handled as technical violations not subject to the provisions of this chapter pertaining to ethical violations. Technical violations must remain confidential unless requested to be made public by the public official, public member, or public employee filing the statement. In lieu of all other penalties, the appropriate supervisory office may assess a technical violations penalty not exceeding fifty dollars.

(B) The appropriate supervisory office may grant a reasonable extension of time for filing a statement of economic interests. The extension may not exceed thirty days except in cases of illness or incapacitation.

Section 8-13-1180. (A) An elective official or the elective official's agent may not knowingly solicit a contribution from an employee in the elective official's area of official responsibility.

(B) A public official or public employee may not provide an advantage or disadvantage to a public employee or applicant for public employment concerning employment, conditions of employment, or application for employment based on the employee's or applicant's contribution, promise to contribute, or failure to contribute to a candidate, a political party, as defined in Section 8-13-1300(26) or a committee, as defined in Section 8-13-1300(6).

Article 13

Campaign Practices

Section 8-13-1300. As used in this article:

(1) `Appropriate supervisory office' means:

(a) the State Ethics Commission for all candidates for public office in this State except for members of or candidates for the office of State Senator or State Representative;

(b) the Senate Ethics Committee for members of or candidates for the office of State Senator, and the House of Representatives Ethics Committee for members of or candidates for the office of State Representative;

(c) the State Ethics Commission for all committees, except legislative caucus committees, supporting or opposing a ballot measure or supporting or opposing a candidate;

(d) the Senate Ethics Committee for all legislative caucus committees affiliated with the Senate, the House of Representatives Ethics Committee for all legislative caucus committees affiliated with the House of Representatives, and both ethics committees for all legislative caucus committees affiliated with both houses.

(2) `Ballot measure' means a referendum, proposition, or measure submitted to voters for their approval.

(3) `Business' means a corporation, partnership, proprietorship, firm, an enterprise, a franchise, an association, organization, or a self-employed individual.

(4) `Candidate' means a person who seeks appointment, nomination for election, or election to a statewide or local office, or authorizes or knowingly permits the collection or disbursement of money for the promotion of his candidacy or election. `Candidate' does not include a candidate within the meaning of Section 431(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1976.

(5) `Charitable organization' means an organization described in Title 26, Section 170(c) of the United States Code as it currently exists or as it may be amended.

(6) `Committee' means an association, a club, an organization, or a group of persons which, to influence the outcome of an elective office or a ballot measure, receives contributions or makes expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars in the aggregate during an election cycle. It also means an individual who, to influence the outcome of an elective office or a ballot measure, makes contributions aggregating at least fifty thousand dollars during an election cycle to, or at the request of, a candidate or a committee, or a combination of them. `Committee' includes a party committee, a legislative caucus committee, a noncandidate committee, or a committee that is not a campaign committee for a candidate but that is organized for the purpose of influencing an election.

(7) `Contribution' means a gift, subscription, loan, guarantee upon which collection is made, forgiveness of a loan, an advance, in-kind contribution or expenditure, a deposit of money, or anything of value made to a candidate or committee to influence an election or ballot measure; or payment or compensation for the personal service of another person which is rendered for any purpose to a candidate or committee without charge. `Contribution' does not include volunteer personal services on behalf of a candidate or committee for which the volunteer receives no compensation from any source.

(8) `Corporation' means an entity organized in the corporate form under federal law or the laws of any state.

(9) `Election' means:

(a) a general, special, primary, or runoff election;

(b) a convention or caucus of a political party held to nominate a candidate; or

(c) the election of delegates to a constitutional convention for proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of this State.

(10) `Election cycle' means the period of a term of office beginning on the day after the general election for the office, up to and including the following general election for the same office, including a primary, special primary, or special election; however, the contribution limits under Sections 8-13-1314 and 8-13-1316 apply only to elections occurring on or after January 1, 1992, and are for each primary, runoff, or special election in which a candidate has opposition and for each general election. If the candidate remains unopposed during an election cycle, one contribution limit shall apply.

(11) `Elective office' means an office at the state, county, municipal or political subdivision level. For the purposes of this article, the term `elective office' does not include an office under the unified judicial system except for purposes of campaign practices, campaign disclosure, and disclosure of economic interests. `Elective office' includes the office of probate judge.

(12) `Expenditure' means a purchase, payment, loan, forgiveness of a loan, an advance, in-kind contribution or expenditure, a deposit, transfer of funds, gift of money, or anything of value for any purpose.

(13) `Expenditures incurred' means an amount owed to a creditor for purchase of delivered goods or completed services.

(14) `Family member' means an individual who is:

(a) the spouse, parent, brother, sister, child, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent, or grandchild; or

(b) a member of the individual's immediate family.

(15) `Gift' means anything of value, including entertainment, food, beverage, travel, and lodging given for pay to a public official or public employee to the extent that consideration of equal or greater value is not received. A gift includes a rebate or discount on the price of anything of value unless it is made in the ordinary course of business without regard to that person's status. A gift does not include campaign contributions accepted pursuant to this article.

(16) `Immediate family' means:

(a) a child residing in a candidate's, public official's, public member's, or public employee's household;

(b) a spouse of a candidate, public official, public member, or public employee; or

(17) `Independent expenditure' means:

(a) an expenditure made by a person to advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate; and

(b) when taken as a whole and in context, the expenditure made by a person expressly to urge a particular result in an election but which is not:

(i) made to;

(ii) controlled by;

(iii) coordinated with;

(iv) requested by; or

(v) made upon consultation with a candidate or an agent of a candidate.

Expenditures by party committees or expenditures by legislative caucus committees based upon party affiliation are considered to be controlled by, coordinated with, requested by, or made upon consultation with a candidate or an agent of a candidate.

(18) `Individual' means one human being.

(19) `Individual with whom he is associated' means an individual with whom the person or a member of his immediate family mutually has an interest in a business of which the person or a member of his immediate family is a director, an officer, owner, employee, a compensated agent, or holder of stock worth one hundred thousand dollars or more at fair market value and which constitutes five percent or more of the total outstanding stock of any class.

(20) `In-kind contribution or expenditure' means goods or services which are provided to or by a person at no charge or for less than their fair market value.

(21) `Legislative caucus committee' means:

(a) a committee of either house of the General Assembly controlled by the caucus of a political party or a caucus based upon racial or ethnic affinity, or gender;

(22) `Loan' means a transfer of money, property, guarantee, or anything of value in exchange for an obligation, conditional or not, to repay in whole or in part.

(23) `Noncandidate committee' means a committee that is not a campaign committee for a candidate but is organized to influence an election or to support or oppose a candidate, public official, or ballot measure, which receives contributions or makes expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars in the aggregate during an election cycle. `Noncandidate committee' does not include political action committees that contribute solely to federal campaigns.

(24) `Party committee' means a committee established by a political party.

(25) `Person' means an individual, a proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, joint stock company, syndicate, business trust, an estate, a company, committee, an association, a corporation, club, labor organization, or any other organization or group of persons acting in concert.

(26) `Political party' means an association, a committee, or an organization which nominates a candidate whose name appears on the election ballot as the candidate of that association, committee, or organization.

(27) `Public employee' means a person employed by the State, a county, a municipality, or a political subdivision thereof.

(28) `Public official' means an elected or appointed official of the State, a county, a municipality or a political subdivision thereof, including candidates for the office. However, `public official' does not mean a member of the judiciary except for purposes of campaign financing. A probate judge is considered a public official and must meet the requirements of this article.

(29) `Statewide office' means an elective office other than a federal office eligible to be voted upon by all electors of the State.

(30) `Transfer' means the movement or exchange of funds or anything of value between committees and candidates except the disposition of surplus funds or material assets by a candidate to a party committee, as provided in this article.

Section 8-13-1302. (A) A candidate or committee shall maintain and preserve an account of:

(1) the total of contributions accepted by the candidate or committee;

(2) the name and address of each person making a contribution and the date of receipt of each contribution;

(3) the total of expenditures made by or on behalf of the candidate or committee;

(4) the name and address of each person to whom an expenditure is made including the date, amount, purpose, and beneficiary of the expenditure;

(5) all receipted bills, canceled checks, or other proof of payment for each expenditure.

(B) The candidate or committee must maintain and preserve all receipted bills and accounts required by this article for four years.

Section 8-13-1304. A committee, except an out-of-state committee, which receives or expends more than five hundred dollars in the aggregate during an election cycle to influence the outcome of an elective office or ballot measure must file a statement of organization with the State Ethics Commission no later than five days after receiving the contribution or making the expenditure. An out-of-state committee which expends more than five hundred dollars in the aggregate during an election cycle to influence the outcome of an elective office or a ballot measure must file a statement of organization with the State Ethics Commission no later than five days after making the expenditure.

Section 8-13-1306. (A) The statement of organization of a committee must include:

(1) the full name of the committee;

(2) the complete address and telephone number of the committee;

(3) the date the committee was organized;

(4) a summary of the purpose of the committee;

(5) the name and address of a corporation or an organization that sponsors the committee or is affiliated with the committee. If the committee is not sponsored by or affiliated with a corporation or an organization, the committee must specify the trade, profession, or primary interest of contributors to the committee;

(6) the full name, address, telephone number, occupation, and principal place of business of the chairman and treasurer of the committee;

(7) the full name, address, telephone number, occupation, and principal place of business of the custodian of the books and accounts if other than the designated officers;

(8) the full name and address of the depository in which the committee maintains its campaign account and the number of the account;

(9) a certification of the statement by the chairman and the treasurer.

(B) The name of the committee designated on the statement of organization must incorporate the full name of the sponsoring entity, if any. An acronym or abbreviation may be used in other communications if the acronym or abbreviation commonly is known or clearly recognized by the general public.

(C) The chairman must notify the State Ethics Commission in writing of a change in information previously reported in a statement of organization no later than ten business days after the change.

Section 8-13-1308. (A) Upon the receipt or expenditure of campaign contributions totaling, in an accumulated aggregate, five hundred dollars or more, a candidate or committee required to file a statement of organization pursuant to Section 8-13-1304 must file an initial certified campaign report within ten days of these receipts or expenditures. However, a candidate or a committee that does not receive or expend campaign contributions totaling, in an accumulated aggregate, five hundred dollars or more must file an initial certified campaign report fifteen days before an election as provided in subsection (D).

(B) Following the filing of an initial certified campaign report, additional certified campaign reports must be filed within ten days following the end of each calendar quarter in which contributions are received or expenditures are made, whether before or after an election.

(C) Campaign reports filed by a candidate must be certified by the candidate. Campaign reports filed by a committee must be certified by a duly authorized officer of the committee.

(D) (1) At least fifteen days before an election, a certified campaign report must be filed showing contributions of more than one hundred dollars and expenditures to or by the candidate or committee for the period ending twenty days before the election. The candidate or committee must maintain a current list during the twenty-day period before the election of all contributions of more than one hundred dollars. The list must be open to public inspection upon request.

(2) A committee immediately shall file a campaign report listing expenditures if it makes an independent expenditure or an incurred expenditure within twenty days before the election in excess of:

(a) ten thousand dollars in the case of a candidate for statewide office; or

(b) two thousand dollars in the case of a candidate for any other office.

(3) In the event of a runoff election, candidates or committees are not required to file another campaign report in addition to the reports already required under this section. However, records must remain open to public inspection upon request between the election and the runoff.

(E) Certified campaign reports detailing campaign contributions and expenditures must contain:

(1) the total of contributions accepted by the candidate or committee;

(2) the name and address of each person making a contribution of more than one hundred dollars and the date of receipt of each contribution;

(3) the total expenditures made by or on behalf of the candidate or committee;

(4) the name and address of each person to whom an expenditure is made from campaign funds, including the date, amount, purpose, and beneficiary of the expenditure.

Section 8-13-1310. (A) All persons required to file certified campaign reports under this article must file those reports with the appropriate supervisory office.

(B) The Senate Ethics Committee and the House of Representatives Ethics Committee must forward a copy of each statement filed with it to the State Ethics Commission within two business days of receipt.

(C) Within two days of receipt, a copy of all campaign reports received by the State Ethics Commission must be forwarded to the State Election Commission and the clerk of court in the county of residence of the person required to file.

(D) As provided in Section 8-13-1372, the State Election Commission must review all statements forwarded to it by the State Ethics Commission for inadvertent and unintentional errors or omissions.

Section 8-13-1312. A candidate may not establish more than one campaign checking account and one campaign savings account for each office sought, and a committee may not establish more than one checking account and one savings account unless federal or state law requires additional accounts. For purposes of this article, certificates of deposit or other interest bearing instruments are not considered separate accounts. A candidate's accounts must be established in a financial institution that conducts business within the State and in an office located within the State that conducts business with the general public. The candidate or a duly authorized officer of a committee must maintain the accounts in the name of the candidate or committee. An acronym must not be used in the case of a candidate's accounts. An acronym or abbreviation may be used in the case of a committee's accounts if the acronym or abbreviation commonly is known or clearly recognized by the general public. Except as otherwise provided under Section 8-13-1348(C), expenses paid on behalf of a candidate or committee must be drawn from the campaign account and issued on a check signed by the candidate or a duly authorized officer of a committee. All contributions received by the candidate or committee, directly or indirectly, must be deposited in the campaign account by the candidate or committee within ten days after receipt. All contributions received by an agent of a candidate or committee must be forwarded to the candidate or committee not later than five days after receipt. A contribution must not be deposited until the candidate or committee receives information regarding the name and address of the contributor. If the name and address cannot be determined within ten days after receipt, the contribution must be remitted to the Children's Trust Fund.

Section 8-13-1314. (A) Within an election cycle, no candidate or anyone acting on his behalf may solicit or accept:

(1) a contribution which exceeds:

(a) three thousand five hundred dollars in the case of a candidate for statewide office; or

(b) one thousand dollars in the case of a candidate for any other office;

(2) a cash contribution from an individual unless the cash contribution does not exceed twenty-five dollars and is accompanied by a record of the amount of the contribution and the name and address of the contributor;

(3) a contribution from a registered lobbyist if that lobbyist engages in lobbying the public office or public body for which the candidate is seeking election;

(4) contributions for two elective offices simultaneously, except as provided in Section 8-13-1318.

(B) The restrictions on contributions in subsections (A)(1) and (A)(2) do not apply to a candidate making a contribution to his own campaign.

Section 8-13-1316. (A) Within an election cycle, a candidate may not accept or receive contributions from a political party through its party committees or legislative caucus committees which total in the aggregate more than:

(1) fifty thousand dollars in the case of a candidate for statewide office;

(2) five thousand dollars in the case of a candidate for any other office.

(B) Party expenditures for partisan multi-candidate promotions for four or more candidates, including candidates for the United States Senate or the United States House of Representatives, where each candidate receives substantially equal treatment, both in terms of time or length discussed and prominence in presentation, shall not be included in the contribution limits under subsection (A). However, multi-candidate promotional expenditures are limited to:

(1) the operation of telephone banks;

(2) the preparation, mailing, and distribution of campaign materials including newspaper, television, and radio advertisements; or

(3) voter registration and ballot information.

Section 8-13-1318. If a candidate has a debt from a campaign for an elective office, the candidate may accept contributions to retire the debt, even if the candidate accepts contributions for another elective office or the same elective office during a subsequent election cycle, as long as those contributions accepted to retire the debt are:

(1) within the contribution limits applicable to the last election in which the candidate sought the elective office for which the debt was incurred; and

(2) reported as provided in this article.

Section 8-13-1320. For purposes of this article:

(1) A contribution made on or before the seventh day after a primary or primary runoff is attributed to the primary or primary runoff, respectively.

(2) A contribution made on or before the end of the quarter immediately following a general election or special election is attributed to the general election or special election, respectively.

Section 8-13-1322. (A) A person may not contribute to a committee and a committee may not accept from a person contributions aggregating more than three thousand five hundred dollars in a calendar year.

(B) A person may not contribute to a committee and a committee may not accept from a person a cash contribution unless the cash contribution does not exceed twenty-five dollars for each election and is accompanied by a record of the amount of the contribution and the name and address of the contributor.

Section 8-13-1324. (A) A person may not make an anonymous contribution to a candidate or committee and a candidate or committee may not accept an anonymous contribution from an individual except at a ticketed event where food or beverages are served or where political merchandise is distributed and where the price of the ticket is twenty-five dollars or less and goes toward defraying the cost of food, beverages, or political merchandise in whole or in part.

(B) The recipient of an anonymous contribution given in violation of subsection (A) or the recipient of any other anonymous contribution may not keep the contribution but within seven days must remit the contribution to the Children's Trust Fund.

Section 8-13-1326. (A) A loan is considered a contribution from the maker or the guarantors of the loan and is subject to the contribution limitations of this article.

(B) A loan to a candidate must be by written agreement.

(C) The proceeds of a loan made to a candidate under the following conditions are not subject to the contribution limits of this article:

(1) by a commercial lending institution;

(2) in the regular course of business;

(3) on the same terms ordinarily available to members of the public; and

(4) secured or guaranteed upon which collection is not made.

Section 8-13-1328. (A) A candidate for statewide office or the candidate's family member must not be repaid, for a loan made to the candidate, more than twenty-five thousand dollars in the aggregate after the election.

(B) A candidate for an elective office other than those specified in subsection (A) or a family member of a candidate for an elective office other than those specified in subsection (A) must not be repaid, for a loan made to the candidate, more than ten thousand dollars in the aggregate after the election.

Section 8-13-1330. Contributions by each spouse are considered separate contributions and are not attributable to the other spouse. Contributions by unemancipated children under eighteen years of age are considered contributions by their parents. Fifty percent of the contributions are attributed to each parent, or in the case of a single custodial parent, the total amount is attributed to the custodial parent.

Section 8-13-1332. It is unlawful for:

(1) a committee to make a contribution or expenditure by using:

(a) anything of value secured by physical force, job discrimination, financial reprisals, or threat of the same; or

(b) dues, fees, or other monies required as a condition of membership in a labor organization, or as a condition of employment; or

(2) a person to solicit an employee for a contribution and fail to inform the employee of the political purposes of the committee and of the employee's right to refuse to contribute without any advantage or promise of an advantage conditioned upon making the contribution or reprisal or threat of reprisal related to the failure to make the contribution;

(3) a corporation or committee of a corporation to solicit contributions to the corporation or committee from a person other than its shareholders, directors, executive or administrative personnel, and their families;

(4) an organization or committee of an organization to solicit contributions to the organization or committee from a person other than its members and their families.

Section 8-13-1334. Notwithstanding Section 8-13-1332, a corporation or organization and their committees may through biannual seminars or at the time of hiring nonexecutive and nonadministrative personnel provide educational materials to such personnel explaining their organization, purposes, and operation and also may request contributions to their committees if the committees certify in their reports, as required under Section 8-13-1308, that the requirements of Section 8-13-1332 are met.

Section 8-13-1336. (A) No public official, candidate, public employee, or committee may accept or solicit campaign contributions on the State Capitol grounds, including the office complexes located on them, or in any building which houses the principal office of a statewide officer.

(B) No public official, candidate, public employee, or committee may accept or collect campaign contributions on the grounds of or in any building which houses the official residence of a statewide officer.

Section 8-13-1338. (A) The following persons personally may not solicit, verbally or in writing, a contribution to a candidate:

(1) a law enforcement officer while in uniform;

(2) a judge or candidate for judicial office;

(3) a solicitor, an assistant solicitor, or an investigator in a solicitor's office;

(4) the Attorney General, a deputy attorney general, an assistant attorney general, or an investigator in the Attorney General's office.

(B) The restrictions of subsection (A) on solicitation of contributions do not apply to:

(1) a candidate soliciting a contribution to his own campaign; or

(2) a part-time assistant solicitor.

Section 8-13-1340. (A) A candidate may not make a contribution to another candidate or make an independent expenditure on behalf of another candidate.

(B) This section does not prohibit a candidate from:

(1) making a contribution from the candidate's own personal funds on behalf of the candidate's candidacy or to another candidate for a different office; or

(2) providing the candidate's surplus funds or material assets upon final disbursement to a legislative caucus committee or party committee in accordance with the procedures for the final disbursement of a candidate under Section 8-13-1370 of this article.

(C) Assets or funds which are the proceeds of a campaign contribution and which are held by or under the control of a public official or a candidate for public office on January 1, 1992, are considered to be funds held by a candidate and subject to subsection (A).

Section 8-13-1342. No person who has been awarded a contract with the State, a county, a municipality, or a political subdivision thereof, other than contracts awarded through competitive bidding practices, may make a contribution after the awarding of the contract or invest in a financial venture in which a public official has an interest if that official was in a position to act on the contract's award. No public official or public employee may solicit campaign contributions or investments in exchange for the prior award of a contract or the promise of a contract with the State, a county, a municipality, or a political subdivision thereof.

Section 8-13-1344. (A) A public utility may not include in its operating expenses a contribution or expenditure to influence an election or to operate a political action committee.

(B) A person may not solicit from a candidate, committee, political party, or other person, money or other property as a condition or consideration for an endorsement, article, or other communication in the news media promoting or opposing a candidate, committee, or political party.

(C) An employer may not provide an advantage or disadvantage to an employee concerning the employee's employment or conditions of employment based on the employee's contribution, promise to contribute, or failure to contribute to a candidate, committee, or political party.

(D) A person may not, directly or indirectly, reimburse a person, except for the person's immediate family, for a contribution to a candidate, committee, or political party.

Section 8-13-1346. A person may not use or authorize the use of public funds, property, or time to influence the outcome of an election. This section does not prohibit the incidental use of time and materials for preparation of a newsletter reporting activities of the body of which a public official is a member.

Section 8-13-1348. (A) No candidate, committee, public official, or political party may use campaign funds to defray personal expenses which are unrelated to the campaign or the office if the candidate is an officeholder nor may these funds be converted to personal use. The prohibition of this subsection does not extend to the incidental personal use of campaign materials or equipment nor to an expenditure used to defray any ordinary expenses incurred in connection with an individual's duties as a holder of elective office.

(B) The payment of reasonable and necessary travel expenses or for food or beverages consumed by the candidate or members of his immediate family while at, and in connection with, a political event are permitted.

(C) An expenditure of more than twenty-five dollars must be made by a written instrument drawn upon the campaign account containing the name of the candidate or committee and the name of the recipient. Expenditures of twenty-five dollars or less that are not made by a written instrument containing the name of the candidate or committee and the name of the recipient must be accounted for by a written receipt or written record.

(D) An expenditure may not be made that is clearly in excess of the fair market value of services, materials, facilities, or other things of value received in exchange.

(E) A candidate or a duly authorized officer of a committee may not withdraw more than one hundred dollars from the campaign account to establish or replenish a petty cash fund for the candidate or committee at any time, and at no time may the fund exceed one hundred dollars. Expenditures from the petty cash fund may be made only for office supplies, food, transportation expenses, and other necessities and may not exceed twenty-five dollars for each expenditure.

Section 8-13-1350. (A) A candidate for elective office may use or permit the use of contributions solicited for or received by the candidate for that office to further the candidacy of the individual for a different office as long as the contributions have been received on or before December 31, 1992, and have been transferred to a campaign account for the different office on or before December 31, 1992. A contribution solicited for or received on behalf of the candidate is considered solicited or received for the candidacy for which the individual is then a candidate if the funds or contributions are solicited or received before the general election for which the candidate is a nominee or is unopposed. The prohibition on the use or solicitation of funds does not limit in any way a candidate from retaining funds for use in a subsequent race for the same elective office.

(B) Any assets or funds which are:

(1) the proceeds of a campaign contribution which are held by or under the control of a public official or a candidate for public office on January 1, 1993; and

(2) which continue to be held by or under the control of a public official or a candidate for public office on January 1, 1993;

are subject to the provisions of subsection (A).

Section 8-13-1352. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 8-13-1350, a candidate may use or permit the use of contributions solicited for or received by the candidate to further the candidacy of the individual for an elective office other than the elective office for which the contributions were received if:

(1) the person originally making the contribution gives written authorization for its use to further the candidacy of the individual for a specific office which is not the office for which the contribution was originally intended; and

(2) the contribution is otherwise permitted by law.

Section 8-13-1354. A person who makes an independent expenditure in the distribution, posting, or broadcasting of a communication to voters supporting or opposing a public official, a candidate, or a ballot measure must place his name and address on the printed matter or have his name spoken clearly on a broadcast so as to identify accurately the person and his address. Campaign buttons, balloons, yard signs, or similar items are exempt from this requirement.

Section 8-13-1356. (A) This section applies to a person who has not filed a statement for the calendar year as a public official under Section 8-13-1110.

(B) A candidate must file a statement of economic interests for the preceding calendar year at the same time and with the same official with whom the candidate files a declaration of candidacy or petition for nomination.

(C) The official with whom the candidate files a declaration of candidacy or petition for nomination must, no later than five business days after receiving a candidate's statement of economic interests under subsection (B), file a copy of the statement with the appropriate supervisory office.

(D) An individual who becomes a candidate other than by filing must, no later than fifteen business days after becoming a candidate, file a statement of economic interests for the preceding calendar year with the appropriate supervisory office.

(E) An officer authorized to receive declarations of candidacy and petitions for nominations under the provisions of Chapter 11 of Title 7 may not accept a declaration of candidacy or petition for nomination unless the declaration or petition is accompanied by a statement of economic interests. If the candidate's name inadvertently appears on the ballot, the officer authorized to receive declarations of candidacy or petitions for nomination must not certify the candidate subsequent to the election.

(F) If the candidate files for office before January first of the year in which the election is held, he must file a supplementary statement covering the preceding calendar year no later than April first of the year in which the election is held.

(G) A candidate who is not a public official otherwise filing a statement has the same disclosure requirements as a public official with the exception of reporting gifts.

(H) The State Ethics Commission must furnish to each clerk of court in the State forms on which the statement of economic interests shall be filed.

Section 8-13-1358. Certified campaign reports must be filed on a format specified by the State Ethics Commission. The reports filed must be typed or printed in ink on forms supplied by the commission. A report may be filed with the commission on a computerized printout if the commission approves the proposed format and style.

Section 8-13-1360. (A) The State Ethics Commission shall develop a contribution and expenditure reporting form which must include:

(1) a designation as a pre-election or quarterly report and, if a pre-election report, the election date;

(2) the candidate's name and address or, in the case of a committee, the name and address of the committee;

(3) the balance of campaign accounts on hand at the beginning and at the close of the reporting period and the location of those campaign accounts;

(4) the total amount of all contributions received during the reporting period; the total amount of contributions of one hundred dollars or less in the aggregate from one source received during the reporting period; and the name and address of each person contributing more than one hundred dollars in the aggregate during the reporting period, the date and amount of the contribution, and the year-to-date total for each contributor. Written promises or pledges to make a contribution must be reported separately in the same manner as other monetary contributions;

(5) the total amount of all loans received during the reporting period and the total amount of loans for the year to date. The report also must include the date and amount of each loan from one source during the reporting period, the name and address of each maker or guarantor of each loan, the year-to-date total of each maker or guarantor, and the terms of the loan, including the interest rate, repayment terms, loan payments, and existing balances on each loan;

(6) the date and amount of any in-kind contributions of more than one hundred dollars in the aggregate by one person during the reporting period, and the contributor's name, address, and year-to-date total;

(7) the total amount of all refunds, rebates, interest, and other receipts not previously identified during the reporting period, and their year-to-date total; the total amount of other receipts received of one hundred dollars or less in the aggregate from one source during the reporting period; the date and amount of each refund, rebate, interest, or other receipt not previously identified of more than one hundred dollars in the aggregate from one source, the name and address and the year-to-date total for each source;

(8) the aggregate total of all contributions, loans, and other receipts during the reporting period and the year-to-date total; the amount, date, and a brief description of each expenditure made during the reporting period, the name and address of the entity to which the expenditure was made, and the year-to-date total of expenditures to that entity. Credit card expenses and candidate reimbursements must be itemized so that the purpose and recipient of the expenditure are identified;

(9) the total amount of all loans made during the reporting period and the year-to-date total. The report also must include the date and amount of each loan to one entity during the reporting period, the name and address of each recipient of the loan, and the terms of the loan, including the interest rate, repayment terms, purpose of the loan, the year-to-date total, and existing balances.

(B) A candidate or committee must disclose all information required on the form developed under this section.

Section 8-13-1362. (A) If a candidate or committee has not accepted any contributions and has not made any expenditures during a reporting period, the candidate or a duly authorized officer of the committee must file a statement of inactivity.

(B) A statement of inactivity must include the candidate's or committee's name and address; the type of report, pre-election or quarterly; and a statement by the candidate or a duly authorized officer of the committee verifying that no contributions were received and no expenditures were made during the reporting period. For the purpose of this report, interest earned is not a contribution.

Section 8-13-1364. The appropriate supervisory office must send a notice of obligation to report and reporting forms by first class mail no less than thirty days before the filing date for each reporting period. A candidate or committee is not relieved of reporting responsibilities if the notice or forms are not sent or if the candidate or committee does not receive a notice or forms.

Section 8-13-1366. Certified campaign reports must be made available for public inspection at the office of the State Ethics Commission, the State Election Commission, the Senate Ethics Committee, the House of Representatives Ethics Committee, and the county clerk of court within two business days of receipt. The commissions, ethics committees, and county clerks of court may not require any information or identification as a condition of viewing a report or reports. The commissions, ethics committees, and the county clerks of court shall ensure that the reports are available for copying or purchase at a reasonable cost.

Section 8-13-1368. (A) A candidate is not exempt from the campaign filing requirements as provided in this article until after an election in which the candidate is a candidate or is defeated and after the candidate no longer accepts contributions, incurs expenditures, or pays for expenditures incurred.

(B) Committees may dissolve only after no longer accepting contributions, incurring expenditures, or paying for expenditures incurred.

(C) If a committee owes or is owed money, the committee may dissolve but must report the status of the debt annually on the same schedule as active committees until all debts are resolved. The method of resolution to eliminate these debts, including contributions accepted and payment for expenditures incurred, must be stated on the report.

(D) A final report may be filed at the time or before a scheduled filing is due. The form must be marked `final' and include a list of the material assets worth one hundred dollars or more and state their disposition.

Section 8-13-1370. (A) Contributions received by a candidate that are in excess of expenditures during an election cycle must be used by the candidate upon final disbursement:

(1) to defray ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in connection with his duties in his public office;

(2) to be contributed to an organization exempt from tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, a political party, or a committee;

(3) to be maintained in the campaign account for a subsequent race for the same elective office;

(4) to further the candidacy of the individual for a different elective office. However, after December 31, 1992, the funds must be used in a campaign for a different elective office only as provided for in Section 8-13-1352;

(5) to be returned pro rata to all contributors;

(6) to be contributed to the state's general fund; or

(7) to be distributed using a combination of these options.

(B) No candidate may expend contributions for personal use.

(C) A committee required to file reports under this article which has an unexpended balance of funds upon final disbursement not otherwise obligated for expenditures incurred to further the committee's purposes must designate how the surplus funds are to be distributed. The surplus funds must be:

(1) contributed to the state's general fund;

(2) returned pro rata to all contributors;

(3) contributed to a political party or to another committee;

(4) contributed to an organization exempt from tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or

(5) distributed using a combination of these options.

Section 8-13-1372. (A) The State Election Commission, in its discretion, may determine that errors or omissions on campaign reports are inadvertent and unintentional and not an effort to violate a requirement of this chapter and may be handled as technical violations which are not subject to the provisions of this chapter pertaining to ethical violations. Technical violations must remain confidential unless requested to be made public by the candidate filing the report. In lieu of all other penalties, the State Election Commission may assess a technical violations penalty not to exceed fifty dollars.

(B) A violation, other than an inadvertent or unintentional violation, must be referred to the appropriate supervisory office for appropriate action.

Article 15

Penalties

Section 8-13-1510. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, a person required to file a report or statement under this chapter who files a late statement or report or fails to file a required statement or report must be assessed a civil penalty as follows:

(1) a fine of one hundred dollars if not filed within five days after the established deadline provided by law in this chapter;

(2) after notice has been given by certified or registered mail that a required statement or report has not been filed, a fine of ten dollars a day for each additional calendar day in which the required statement is not filed, not exceeding five hundred dollars.

Section 8-13-1520. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, a person who violates any provision of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or be imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. A violation of the provisions of this chapter does not necessarily subject a public official to the provisions of Section 8-13-560."

Felony offenses

SECTION 4. The felony offenses provided in Section 8-13-705 are added to the list of crimes classified as felonies in Section 16-1-10 of the 1976 Code.

Repeals

SECTION 5. Section 8-5-10 of the 1976 Code is repealed. Section 2-17-70, as amended by this act, is repealed on July 1, 1993.

Deletions by Code Commissioner

SECTION 6. The Code Commissioner is directed to delete all references to legislative members serving in any capacity as a member of a state board or commission, except as allowed by Section 8-13-770 of the 1976 Code.

Severability clause

SECTION 7. If any provision of this act or the application thereof to any person is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the act which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application and to this end the provisions of this act are severable.

Time effective

SECTION 8. This act takes effect January 1, 1992, except Section 8-13-1350 takes effect January 1, 1993, and the transfer of duties from the Secretary of State to the State Ethics Commission pursuant to Chapter 17 of Title 2 of the 1976 Code takes effect July 1, 1993. Except as otherwise provided, this act governs only transactions which take place after December 31, 1991.

Approved the 1st day of October, 1991.

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