SB 1248-1252: Campaign Finance Power Grab

These bills would amend the Michigan Campaign Finance Act to do the following:

• Create the Fair Political Practices Commission as an autonomous entity within the Secretary of State (SOS), and provide for the appointment of its members.
• Require the Commission to administer and enforce the Act.
• Modify various references to the SOS to refer instead to the Commission.
• Remove a prohibition on a public person using public funds or resources for communication referencing a local ballot question and targeting the relevant electorate where the local ballot question appeared on the ballot.
• Prohibit the father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, or spouse or a relative of any degree residing in the same household as a candidate from contributing in total to that person’s candidate committee, more than $50,000 in value for an election cycle.
• Prohibit a person from bringing an action to collect a fine or fee imposed under the Act unless the person commenced the action within five years after the violation.