A 11518: Limits political contributions and expenditures; limits corporate contributions to independent expenditure committees.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 11518  IN ASSEMBLY May 28, 2026 ___________ Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Lasher) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to campaign contribution and expenditure limitations The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Article 14 of the election law is amended by adding a new 2 title 3 to read as follows: 3 TITLE III 4 CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION AND EXPENDITURE LIMITATIONS 5 Section 14-300. Legislative findings and intent. 6 14-301. Definitions. 7 14-302. Aggregate contribution and expenditure limits. 8 14-303. Contribution and expenditure limits from political 9 committees. 10 14-304. Corporate contribution limits to independent expenditure 11 committees. 12 14-305. Severability. 13 § 14-300. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature finds that 14 the Supreme Court's decisions in Citizens United v. FEC, 558 US. 310 15 (2010), McCutcheon v FEC, 572 U.S. 185 (2014), Buckley v. Valeo, 424 16 U.S. 1 (1976), and other campaign finance cases are wrongly decided. The 17 legislature finds that the U.S. Constitution embodies the principle of 18 democracy, the idea that all citizens are entitled to participate in 19 self-government as political equals and that, with Citizens United and 20 the other cases, the Court contravened this fundamental constitutional 21 guarantee. The legislature finds that Citizens United and the other 22 cases empower wealthy special interests to monopolize political 23 discourse at the expense of the public; unconstitutionally disable the 24 legislature from taking common-sense steps to reduce the appearance and 25 reality of corruption, which includes undue access to and influence over 26 government officials; and give rise to a distrust in government and 27 citizen apathy that undermines the democratic operation of the political 28 process. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD15124-03-6 
 A. 11518 2 1 The legislature amends this article creating a new title to this arti- 2 cle to enable the public at large to participate in the political proc- 3 ess by reducing the undemocratic influence of special interests; to 4 eliminate the appearance and reality of political corruption that inevi- 5 tably arises when unlimited money is allowed to influence political 6 outcomes; to restore public faith and participation in democracy; and to 7 vindicate the U.S. Constitution's fundamental principle of democracy, 8 which has been so callously disregarded by the Supreme Court. 9 Therefore, the legislature declares that these amendments further the 10 important and valid government interests of ensuring the constitu- 11 tionally guaranteed political equality of all citizens, reducing the 12 appearance and reality of political corruption, encouraging broad based 13 public participation in democracy, and encouraging qualified candidates 14 to run for office, while reducing candidates' and officeholders' 15 fundraising burdens. 16 § 14-301. Definitions. For the purposes of this title, the following 17 terms shall have the following meanings: 18 1. "Contribution" shall have the same meaning as such term is defined 19 in subdivision nine of section 14-100 of this article. 20 2. "Independent expenditure" shall have the same meaning as such term 21 is defined in subdivision one of section 14-107 of this article. 22 3. "Independent expenditure committee" shall have the same meaning as 23 such term is defined in subdivision fifteen of section 14-100 of this 24 article. 25 4. "Political committee" shall have the same meaning as such term is 26 defined in subdivision one of section 14-100 of this article. 27 § 14-302. Aggregate contribution and expenditure limits. The state 28 board of elections shall resume enforcement of subdivision eight of 29 section 14-114 of this article. 30 § 14-303. Contribution and expenditure limits from political commit- 31 tees. An individual or entity making a contribution to a political 32 committee, regardless of whether the committee is formed for the exclu- 33 sive purpose of making independent expenditures as defined in subdivi- 34 sion one of section 14-107 of this article, shall be subject to the same 35 limits that apply to an individual or entity making a direct contrib- 36 ution as set forth in sections 14-114, 14-116 and 14-120 of this arti- 37 cle. 38 § 14-304. Corporate contribution limits to independent expenditure 39 committees. The state board of elections shall resume enforcement of 40 subdivision two of section 14-116 of this article for violations of the 41 contribution limit for corporations making contributions to independent 42 expenditure committees. 43 § 14-305. Severability. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi- 44 sion, section or part of this title shall be determined by any court of 45 competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, 46 impair or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its 47 operation to the particular clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, 48 section or part thereof directly found invalid in the judgment rendered. 49 It is hereby declared to be the intent of the legislature that this 50 title would have been enacted even if such invalid provisions had not 51 been included herein. 52 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that any section 53 contained in title 3 of article 14 of the election law as added by 54 section one of this act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after the 55 attorney general certifies that it is reasonably probable that such 56 section would be upheld as constitutional due to: (i) an opinion by the 
 A. 11518 3 1 U.S. Supreme Court; (ii) the adoption of an amendment to the U.S. 2 Constitution; or (iii) any other reason, to be specified in the certif- 3 ication. The attorney general shall make such certification or certif- 4 ications as soon as practicable and no later than one year after the 5 occurrence of such events. The attorney general shall notify the legis- 6 lative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of any such decision 7 or event in order that the commission may maintain an accurate and time- 8 ly effective data base of the official text of the laws of the state of 9 New York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions of section 44 of 10 the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law.