An Act to create 11.0101 (25) (a) 3. of the statutes; Relating to: the definition of political action committee for campaign finance purposes.
Summary
AB1201 would change Wisconsin campaign finance law by expanding the definition of a political action committee (PAC). Under current law, a person other than an individual is treated as a PAC if express advocacy is its major purpose or if more than 50% of its spending in a 12-month period goes to express advocacy, referendum-related spending, or contributions to candidate, legislative campaign, or political party committees. This bill would add a new, lower-threshold test: a non-individual person would also be a PAC if it spends more than $1,000 in a 12-month period on those covered political expenditures.
The bill also specifies that fundraising and administrative expenses would not count toward the $1,000 threshold. In practical terms, more organizations that engage in relatively modest levels of election-related spending could become subject to PAC registration, reporting, and other campaign finance requirements. The change would affect nonprofits, advocacy groups, business associations, and other entities that make political expenditures but may not currently meet the existing major-purpose or 50%-spending tests.
Impact
AB1201 would amend s. 11.0101 of the Wisconsin statutes by creating a new category of PAC based on spending over $1,000 in a 12-month period on express advocacy, referendum advocacy, and contributions to candidate, legislative campaign, or political party committees. This would broaden the set of entities regulated as PACs for campaign finance purposes and likely increase disclosure and compliance obligations for affected organizations.
Sentiment
The available record shows the bill was introduced and referred to the Committee on Campaigns and Elections, but there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes in the provided materials. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1. Based on the text alone, the proposal appears to reflect a policy preference for broader campaign finance regulation and greater transparency in political spending, but the provided record does not show direct support or opposition statements.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the lower $1,000 spending threshold, which would classify more organizations as PACs and subject them to campaign finance rules. Supporters would likely view this as a transparency and disclosure measure, while opponents may argue it sweeps in small-scale advocacy groups and imposes compliance burdens on organizations that are not primarily political in purpose. The exclusion of fundraising and administrative expenses narrows the trigger somewhat, but the bill still represents a significant expansion of PAC coverage compared with current law.
Crossfiled
An Act to create 11.0101 (25) (a) 3. of the statutes; Relating to: the definition of political action committee for campaign finance purposes.
Amending the campaign finance act and the state governmental ethics laws regarding the qualifications of members of the governmental ethics commission, actions of the commission, formation of political committees, reporting requirements and requirements for "paid for" attributions.
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 9.3 of Title 24.2 an article numbered 4.2, consisting of sections numbered 24.2-949.14, 24.2-949.15, and 24.2-949.16, relating to elections; campaign finance; federal political action committees; reporting requirements.