| (a) During the period that begins on the 30th day before
the date a regular legislative session convenes and continuing through
the 20th day after the date of final adjournment, a person may not
knowingly make a political contribution to:
(1) a statewide officeholder or officer-elect;
(2) a member of the legislature or member-elect; or
(3) a specific-purpose committee for supporting, opposing,
or assisting a statewide officeholder or officer-elect or member or
member-elect of the legislature.
(b) An individual or committee described in subsection
(a) of this section may not knowingly accept a political contribution,
and shall refuse a political contribution that is received, during
the period prescribed by subsection (a) of this section.
(c) A political contribution that is received and refused
pursuant to this section shall be returned to the contributor not
later than the 30th day after the date of receipt.
(d) A contribution made by United States mail or by
common or contract carrier is not considered received during the period
prescribed by subsection (a) of this section if it was deposited into
an official repository of the United States Postal Service or delivered
to a common or contract carrier with postage prepaid and properly
addressed before the beginning of the period. The date of the postmark
or common or contact carrier documents is considered to be the date
the contribution was placed in the mail or delivered to the common
or contract carrier unless proven otherwise.
(e) This section does not apply to a political contribution
that was made and accepted with the intent that it be used:
(1) in an election held or ordered during the period
prescribed by subsection (a) of this section in which the person accepting
the contribution is a candidate if the contribution was made after
the person appointed a campaign treasurer with the appropriate authority
and before the person was sworn in for that office;
(2) to defray expenses incurred in connection with
an election contest; or
(3) by a person who holds a statewide office or a member
of the legislature, if the person or member was defeated at the general
election held immediately before the session is convened, or by a
specific-purpose political committee that supports or assists only
that person or member.
|
