North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S249 Compare Versions

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11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
22 SESSION 2025
3-S 1
4-SENATE BILL 249
3+S D
4+SENATE BILL DRS45113-LUe-52
5+
56
67
78 Short Title: Exempt./Campaign Sales/Other Political Groups. (Public)
89 Sponsors: Senators Alexander, Daniel, and Galey (Primary Sponsors).
9-Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
10-March 10, 2025
11-*S249 -v-1*
10+Referred to:
11+
12+*DRS45113 -LUe-52*
1213 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
1314 AN ACT TO EXEMPT OTHER POLITICAL PARTY GROUPS IN THIS STATE FROM 2
1415 CAMPAIGN SALES REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PURCHASE PRICE OF 3
1516 GOODS OR SERVICES UNDER THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS. 4
1617 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
1718 SECTION 1. G.S. 163-278.8A reads as rewritten: 6
1819 "§ 163-278.8A. Campaign sales by political party executive committees.committees, 7
1920 affiliated party committees, and other political party groups. 8
2021 (a) Exempt Purchase Price Not Treated as "Contribution." – Notwithstanding the 9
2122 provisions of G.S. 163-278.6(13), the purchase price of goods or services sold by a political party 10
2223 executive committee or affiliated party committee committee, an affiliated party committee, or 11
2324 other political party groups as provided in subsection (b) of this section shall not be treated as a 12
2425 "contribution" for purposes of account-keeping under G.S. 163-278.8, for purposes of the 13
2526 reporting of contributions under G.S. 163-278.11, or for the purpose of the limit on contributions 14
2627 under G.S. 163-278.13. The treasurer is not required to obtain, maintain, or report the name or 15
2728 other identifying information of the purchaser of the goods or services, as long as the 16
2829 requirements of subsection (b) of this section are satisfied. However, the proceeds from the sales 17
2930 of those goods and services shall be treated as contributions for other purposes, and expenditures 18
3031 of those proceeds shall be reported as expenditures under this Article. For purposes of this 19
3132 section, "political party groups" includes, but is not limited to, men, women, college, teen, senior, 20
3233 young, African American, or Hispanic clubs or organizations. 21
3334 (b) Exempt Purchase Price. – A purchase price for goods or services sold by a political 22
3435 party executive committee or affiliated party committee committee, an affiliated party 23
3536 committee, or other political party groups qualifies for the exemption provided in subsection (a) 24
3637 of this section as long as the sale of the goods or services adheres to a plan that the treasurer has 25
3738 submitted to and that has been approved in writing by the Executive Director of the State Board 26
3839 of Elections. The Executive Director shall approve the treasurer's plan upon and only upon 27
3940 finding that all the following requirements are satisfied: 28
4041 (1) That the price to be charged for the goods or services is reasonably close to 29
4142 the market price for the goods or services. 30
4243 (2) That the total amount to be raised from sales under all plans by the committee 31
4344 does not exceed twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per election cycle. 32
4445 (3) That no purchaser makes total purchases under the plan that exceed fifty 33
4546 dollars ($50.00). 34
4647 (4) That the treasurer include in the report under G.S. 163-278.11, covering the 35
47-relevant time period, all of the following: 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48-Page 2 Senate Bill 249-First Edition
48+relevant time period, all of the following: 36
49+FILED SENATE
50+Mar 6, 2025
51+S.B. 249
52+PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
53+Page 2 DRS45113-LUe-52
4954 a. A description of the plan. 1
5055 b. The amount raised from sales under the plan. 2
5156 c. The number of purchases made. 3
5257 (5) That the treasurer shall include in the appropriate report under 4
5358 G.S. 163-278.11 any in-kind contribution made to the political party in 5
5459 providing the goods or services sold under the plan and that no in-kind 6
5560 contribution accepted as part of the plan violates any provision of this Article. 7
5661 The Executive Director may require a format for submission of a plan, but that format shall 8
5762 not place undue paperwork burdens upon the treasurer. As used in this subdivision, the term 9
5863 "election cycle" has the same meaning as in G.S. 163-278.6(32)." 10
5964 SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law. 11