State Fiscal Highlights
|
STATE FUND |
FY 2010 |
FY 2011 |
FUTURE YEARS |
|
General Revenue Fund – Ohio Elections Commission |
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|
Revenues |
- 0 - |
- 0 - |
- 0 - |
|
Expenditures |
- 0 - |
Potential minimal increase |
Potential minimal increase |
|
Elections Commission Fund (Fund 4P20) – Ohio Elections Commission |
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|
Revenues |
- 0 - |
Potential gain in fines |
Potential gain in fines |
|
Expenditures |
- 0 - |
Potential minimal increase |
Potential minimal increase |
|
Note: The state fiscal year is July 1 through June 30. For example, FY 2010 is July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010. |
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· The bill prohibits incumbents of or candidates for local elected offices from soliciting or accepting campaign contributions from employees they supervise or would supervise if elected to office. If this new prohibition increases the number of elections law complaints, the Ohio Elections Commission could incur higher costs for handling these cases.
· The Commission is funded partly by the GRF and partly by candidate and issue filing fees and fines that are deposited into the Ohio Elections Commission Fund (Fund 4P20).
Local Fiscal Highlights
· No direct fiscal effect on political subdivisions.
Detailed Fiscal Analysis
Overview
Currently, elective officers of political subdivisions and candidates for elective office of political subdivisions are prohibited from soliciting contributions from political subdivision employees they supervise or would supervise if elected to office. Accepting such contributions, however, is not prohibited. The bill prohibits the acceptance of these contributions, thus making the prohibitions against contributions applying to campaigns for local elected office consistent with those that apply to campaigns for statewide elected office. The penalty for knowingly accepting a contribution in violation of the prohibition is a fine equal to three times the amount accepted. The penalty for unknowingly accepting a contribution in violation of the prohibition is to return to the contributor any amount accepted.
Ohio Elections Commission
Campaign finance complaints and other types of alleged elections law violations are forwarded by the Secretary of State to the Ohio Elections Commission, which has the authority to hear and rule on these complaints. Under current law, the Ohio Elections Commission is permitted to levy fines for violations of various elections laws. Any fines assessed by the Ohio Elections Commission are deposited into the Elections Commission Fund (Fund 4P20). Any additional costs as a result of the bill – probably minimal because there would likely be few additional complaints – would be paid for from either the GRF or Fund 4P20 and could potentially be offset by any fine revenues collected. Fund 4P20 collected $50,766 in filing fee revenue and $55,332 in fine revenue in FY 2009, and has collected $210,977 in filing fee revenue and $54,660 in fines year to date in FY 2010. The FY 2010 appropriation for the Ohio Elections Commission is $593,420, and increases to $598,420 in FY 2011.
