SESSION OF 2025
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2054
As Amended by House Committee of the Whole
Brief*
HB 2054, as amended, 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
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
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.
____________________
*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/ 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
The bill would apply the contribution limits to:
●Persons except party committees, the candidate,
or the candidate’s spouse [Note: This provision is
in current law.];
●Individual party committees other than a national
party committee [Note: Current law limits only party
contributions to candidates in such party’s
primaries with two or more candidates.]; and
●Persons making cash contributions [Note: This
provision is in current law.].
Background
The bill was introduced by the House Committee on
Elections at the request of Representative Waggoner.
2- 2054 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
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.
House Committee of the Whole
The House Committee of the Whole amended the bill to
limit party contributions to candidates in all primary elections
and general elections.
Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
Budget on the bill, as introduced, the Secretary of State
indicates enactment of the bill would have minimal fiscal
effect on the agency, and the agency would use existing
3- 2054 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 the bill is
not reflected in The FY 2026 Governor’s Budget Report.
Campaign Finance Act; campaign contributions; political parties
4- 2054