Senate committee adopts campaign finance changes: caps across multiple races and ties limit to ethics commission rule

A Senate committee voted to advance legislation that would limit contributions from a single donor to the maximum allowed per election even if a candidate runs for more than one office, and to amend code language so the dollar limit follows a formula established by the Oversight Ethics Commission.

Senator Tucker told the committee the bill closes a loophole that could allow a donor to give separate maximum contributions to the same person who switches races within an election cycle. ‘‘As a candidate, you’re capped at whatever the max dollar amount is for that election, even if you run for more than one office,’’ he said.

The committee first adopted a technical amendment and then debated a related statutory cleanup to an outdated dollar figure in code. Graham Salome, director of the Oversight Ethics Commission, explained the commission applies federal consumer-price-index-type numbers every two years under a formula set by the 2015 General Assembly. ‘‘Every two years, the commission looks at those federal numbers, applies a formula, and then it yields a number and then it’s rounded to the nearest hundred,’’ Salome said, noting the limit rose to $2,800 in 2019 and the current calculation will raise it to $2,900 by rule.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about whether returning previously received contributions would permit a candidate to accept them again; sponsors and staff confirmed a returned contribution may be re-accepted if it was refunded to the donor. No public witnesses signed against the measures. Motions to pass the bills as amended were made and seconded; the committee recorded voice votes and advanced the measures.

The transcript records voice votes and sponsor and director testimony; it does not include roll-call tallies or final statutory text changes in the hearing record.