SB 228 would create a new contribution limit for political action committees making donations to candidates for school board office. Under the bill, a PAC could not give more than an aggregate of $5,000 in a year to a specific school board candidate, regardless of how the contributions are apportioned. The bill applies beginning July 1, 2025.
The measure also updates Indiana’s election enforcement provisions to add this new school board PAC limit to the list of violations that can trigger civil penalties. It authorizes county election boards to assess penalties against PACs that exceed the limit, and it also makes a reckless violation a Class B misdemeanor under the criminal election code. The bill further aligns related penalty and enforcement language in the election and criminal code sections it amends.
Impact
SB 228 would amend Indiana election law in IC 3-9, IC 3-14-1-10, and IC 35-52-3-6 by adding a specific contribution cap for PACs supporting school board candidates and by creating corresponding civil and criminal enforcement mechanisms. It would affect PACs, school board candidates, county election boards, and the election division by giving local election authorities a basis to investigate and penalize violations. The bill also channels collected civil penalties into a county account used to support election administration.
Sentiment
No committee transcript or recorded vote information was provided, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from legislative debate in the materials supplied. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to reflect a regulatory approach to school board campaign finance, with a focus on limiting PAC influence and strengthening enforcement. The absence of recorded discussion makes the overall sentiment difficult to gauge beyond the bill’s clear intent to tighten contribution rules.
Contention
The main point of contention likely concerns whether PAC contributions to school board candidates should be capped at all, and if so, whether $5,000 is the appropriate threshold. Supporters would likely view the bill as a campaign-finance safeguard for local school board elections, while opponents may argue it restricts political participation or imposes unnecessary limits on advocacy groups. A secondary issue is the bill’s enforcement structure, which includes both civil penalties and a Class B misdemeanor for reckless violations, making compliance risk a notable concern for PACs and their treasurers.
Campaign finance: contributions and expenditures; acceptance of certain contributions by judge or justice; prohibit. Amends 1976 PA 388 (MCL 169.201 - 169.282) by adding sec. 30a.
Senate Substitute for HB 2054 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Increasing the limits on certain campaign contributions under the campaign finance act.