SESSION OF 2025
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2054
As Recommended by House Committee on
Elections
Brief*
HB 2054 would amend provisions in the Campaign
Finance Act to increase limits on certain campaign
contributions and eliminate limits on contributions to party
committees.
Contributions to Party Committees
The bill would remove annual aggregate limits on
contributions to party committees by persons, national party
committees, and political committees.
Contributions to Campaigns
Continuing law provides that contributions made by
persons, except party committees, candidates, and
candidates’ spouses, are aggregated separately for primary
and general elections, and party committee contributions are
limited only for certain primary elections. The bill would
increase aggregate limits for each of the following campaigns:
●For the pair of offices of governor and lieutenant
governor or other statewide offices, from $2,000 to
$4,000;
●For the office of member of the House of
Representatives, district judge, district attorney, or
____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
https://klrd.gov/ a candidate for local office, from $500 to $1,000;
and
●For the office of state senator or member of the
State Board of Education, from $1,000 to $2,000.
The bill would increase the amount any person may
contribute to any candidate or candidate committee in cash
for any primary or general election from $100 to $200.
Applicability
Under continuing law, these limits apply to:
●Persons except party committees, the candidate,
or the candidate’s spouse;
●Individual party committees other than a national
party committee making contributions for any
primary election at which two or more candidates
are seeking the nomination of such party; and
●Persons making cash contributions.
Background
The bill was introduced by the House Committee on
Elections at the request of Representative Waggoner.
House Committee on Elections
In the House Committee hearing, proponent testimony
was presented by representatives of the Institute for Free
Speech, Kriegshauser Law Group, and RFJ Consulting, LLC,
and a professor from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
The proponents generally stated the current limits on
candidate campaign contributions are low enough to risk
constitutional challenges, and that there are no limits to the
2- 2054 contributions a person can make to political action
committees (PACs) and 501(c)(4) organizations, so removing
limits to contributions a person can make to a party
committee will strengthen the party committee’s voice in
general elections.
A professor from Washburn University School of Law
presented neutral testimony, stating narrowly drawn limits on
contributions to candidates are important tools for the
prevention of quid pro quo corruption.
Written-only opponent testimony was submitted by a
representative of Campaign Legal Center and five private
citizens.
No other testimony was provided.
Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
Budget on the bill, the Secretary of State indicates enactment
of the bill would have minimal fiscal effect on the agency, and
the agency would use existing resources to update training
materials for local election offices and update education and
promotional materials to the voting public. The Governmental
Ethics Commission indicates enactment of the bill would not
have a fiscal effect on the agency and any expenditures that
would result from printing new materials to reflect the change
in contribution limits could be absorbed within existing
resources.
Any fiscal effect associated with enactment of HB 2045
is not reflected in The FY 2026 Governor’s Budget Report.
Campaign Finance Act; campaign contributions; political parties
3- 2054