WI
Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB733

Wisconsin 2023-2024 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB733 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
OldNewDifferences
11 LRB-4640/1
22 JK:amn
33 2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
44 2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 733
55 December 6, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives SINICKI, SUBECK, C. ANDERSON,
66 J. ANDERSON, ANDRACA, BALDEH, BARE, BILLINGS, CABRERA, CLANCY, CONLEY,
77 DRAKE, JACOBSON, JOERS, MOORE OMOKUNDE, OHNSTAD, PALMERI, SHELTON and
88 SNODGRASS, cosponsored by Senators LARSON, SMITH, L. JOHNSON and
99 HESSELBEIN. Referred to Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
1010 ***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
1111 AN ACT to amend 11.1101 (figure), 11.1101 (1) (intro.), 11.1101 (1) (a), 11.1101
1212 (2) (intro.), 11.1101 (2) (a), 11.1101 (3), 11.1101 (4), 11.1103 (1) (intro.) and (2)
1313 (intro.), 11.1103 (3), 11.1112 and 11.1113 (3) (b); to repeal and recreate
1414 11.1104; and to create 11.1101 (5) and 11.1204 (4) of the statutes; relating to:
1515 campaign contribution limits.
1616 Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
1717 Current law allows unlimited campaign contributions to certain entities, such
1818 as political action committees, legislative campaign committees, and political
1919 parties, but prohibits a political action committee from contributing more than
2020 $12,000 in any calendar year to a political party or legislative campaign committee.
2121 This bill limits the contributions that an individual may make to a political party or
2222 legislative campaign committee to the amounts that an individual may make to a
2323 candidate committee, as provided under the bill. The bill also limits the contributions
2424 that a political party or legislative campaign committee may make to a candidate
2525 committee to the amounts that an individual may make to a candidate committee,
2626 as provided under the bill. In addition, the bill limits the contributions that a
2727 candidate committee may make to a political party or legislative campaign
2828 committee to the amounts that the candidate committee may make under current
2929 law to another candidate committee but retains the unlimited contributions under
3030 current law for contributions that a candidate makes to his or her candidate
3131 committee from the candidate's personal funds.
3232 1
3333 2
3434 3
3535 4
3636 5 - 2 -2023 - 2024 Legislature LRB-4640/1
3737 JK:amn
3838 ASSEMBLY BILL 733
3939 The bill also decreases the individual and candidate committee contribution
4040 limit from $20,000 to $10,000 for contributions made to candidates for governor,
4141 lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, state
4242 superintendent, or justice of the supreme court and reduces by half the limits that
4343 apply to political action committee contributions to candidates. The limits under the
4444 bill are the same, generally, as those that applied to political action committee
4545 contributions prior to 2016.
4646 Finally, current law allows a political party or legislative campaign committee
4747 to establish a segregated fund to use for general purposes but not for making
4848 contributions to a candidate committee or for making disbursements for express
4949 advocacy. Persons other than a political action committee, corporation, cooperative,
5050 labor organization, or American Indian tribe may make unlimited contributions to
5151 the segregated fund. A political action committee, corporation, cooperative, labor
5252 organization, or American Indian tribe may make a contribution to the fund in
5353 amounts not to exceed $12,000 in the aggregate in a calendar year. The bill
5454 eliminates the provision allowing a political party or legislative campaign committee
5555 to establish such a fund.
5656 The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
5757 enact as follows:
5858 SECTION 1. 11.1101 (figure) of the statutes is amended to read:
5959 Figure 11.1101:
6060 INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS CANDIDATE COMMITTEE
6161 CONTRIBUTORS
6262 POLITICAL ACTION 
6363 COMMITTEE CONTRIBUTORS
6464 GOVERNOR $20,000 $10,000 $20,000 $10,000 $86,000 $43,000
6565 LT. GOVERNOR $20,000 $10,000 $20,000 $10,000 $26,000 $13,000
6666 SECRETARY OF STATE $20,000 $10,000 $20,000 $10,000 $18,000 $9,000
6767 STATE TREASURER $20,000 $10,000 $20,000 $10,000 $18,000 $9,000
6868 ATTORNEY GENERAL $20,000 $10,000 $20,000 $10,000 $44,000 $22,000
6969 STATE SUPERINTENDENT $20,000 $10,000 $20,000 $10,000 $18,000 $9,000
7070 JUSTICE $20,000 $10,000 $20,000 $10,000 $18,000 $9,000
7171 STATE SENATOR $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $1,000
7272 ASSEMBLY 
7373 REPRESENTATIVE
7474 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $500
7575 APPEALS JUDGE − 
7676 POPULOUS DISTRICTS
7777 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $3,000
7878 APPEALS JUDGE − 
7979 OTHER DISTRICTS
8080 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $2,500
8181 CIRCUIT JUDGE − 
8282 POPULOUS AREA
8383 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $3,000
8484 DISTRICT ATTORNEY − 
8585 POPULOUS AREA
8686 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $3,000
8787 1
8888 2 - 3 -2023 - 2024 Legislature
8989 LRB-4640/1
9090 JK:amn
9191 SECTION 1
9292 ASSEMBLY BILL 733
9393 CIRCUIT JUDGE − 
9494 OTHER AREA
9595 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $1,000
9696 DISTRICT ATTORNEY −
9797 OTHER AREA
9898 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $1,000
9999 LOCAL OFFICES GREATER OF $500 OR 2 CENTS
100100 TIMES THE POPULATION, BUT
101101 NOT MORE THAN $6,000
102102 GREATER OF $500 OR 2 CENTS
103103 TIMES THE POPULATION, BUT
104104 NOT MORE THAN $6,000
105105 GREATER OF $400 $200 OR 2
106106 CENTS ONE CENT TIMES THE
107107 POPULATION, BUT NOT MORE
108108 THAN $5,000 $2,500
109109 SECTION 2. 11.1101 (1) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
110110 11.1101 (1) INDIVIDUAL LIMITS. (intro.) An individual may contribute to a
111111 candidate committee, political party, or legislative campaign committee no more
112112 than the following amounts specified for the a candidate whose nomination or
113113 election the individual committee or party supports [See Figure 11.1101 following]:
114114 SECTION 3. 11.1101 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
115115 11.1101 (1) (a) Candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state,
116116 state treasurer, attorney general, state superintendent, or justice, $20,000 $10,000.
117117 SECTION 4. 11.1101 (2) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
118118 11.1101 (2) CANDIDATE COMMITTEES. (intro.) A candidate committee may
119119 contribute to another candidate committee, a political party, or a legislative
120120 campaign committee no more than the following amounts specified for the a
121121 candidate whose nomination or election the other candidate committee, political
122122 party, or legislative campaign committee supports [See Figure 11.1101 following]:
123123 SECTION 5. 11.1101 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
124124 11.1101 (2) (a) Candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state,
125125 state treasurer, attorney general, state superintendent, or justice, $20,000 $10,000.
126126 SECTION 6. 11.1101 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
127127 11.1101 (3) POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES. A political action committee may
128128 contribute to a political party or legislative campaign committee no more than
129129 1
130130 2
131131 3
132132 4
133133 5
134134 6
135135 7
136136 8
137137 9
138138 10
139139 11
140140 12
141141 13
142142 14
143143 15
144144 16
145145 17
146146 18
147147 19
148148 20 - 4 -2023 - 2024 Legislature LRB-4640/1
149149 JK:amn
150150 SECTION 6 ASSEMBLY BILL 733
151151 $12,000 in any calendar year, and to a candidate committee no more than the
152152 following amounts specified for the candidate whose nomination or election the
153153 committee supports [See Figure 11.1101 following]:
154154 (a) Candidates for governor, $86,000 $43,000.
155155 (b) Candidates for lieutenant governor, $26,000 $13,000.
156156 (c) Candidates for attorney general, $44,000 $22,000.
157157 (d) Candidates for secretary of state, state treasurer, state superintendent, or
158158 justice, $18,000 $9,000.
159159 (e) Candidates for state senator, $2,000 $1,000.
160160 (f) Candidates for representative to the assembly, $1,000 $500.
161161 (g) Candidates for court of appeals judge in districts which contain a county
162162 having a population of more than 750,000, $6,000 $3,000.
163163 (h) Candidates for court of appeals judge in other districts, $5,000 $2,500.
164164 (i) Candidates for circuit judge in circuits having a population of more than
165165 300,000, or candidates for district attorney in prosecutorial units having a
166166 population of more than 300,000, $6,000 $3,000.
167167 (j) Candidates for circuit judge in other circuits or candidates for district
168168 attorney in other prosecutorial units, $2,000 $1,000.
169169 (k) Candidates for local offices, an amount equal to the greater of the following:
170170 1. Four Two hundred dollars.
171171 2. Two cents One cent times the number of inhabitants of the jurisdiction or
172172 district, according to the latest federal census or the census information on which the
173173 district is based, as certified by the appropriate filing officer, but not more than
174174 $5,000 $2,500.
175175 SECTION 7. 11.1101 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
176176 1
177177 2
178178 3
179179 4
180180 5
181181 6
182182 7
183183 8
184184 9
185185 10
186186 11
187187 12
188188 13
189189 14
190190 15
191191 16
192192 17
193193 18
194194 19
195195 20
196196 21
197197 22
198198 23
199199 24
200200 25 - 5 -2023 - 2024 Legislature
201201 LRB-4640/1
202202 JK:amn
203203 SECTION 7
204204 ASSEMBLY BILL 733
205205 11.1101 (4) OTHER PERSONS. A person, other than a person subject to sub. (1),
206206 (2), or (3) or s. 11.1112, may contribute to a political party or legislative campaign
207207 committee no more than $12,000 in any calendar year, and to a candidate committee
208208 no more than the following amounts specified for the candidate whose nomination
209209 or election the committee supports:
210210 (a) Candidates for governor, $86,000 $43,000.
211211 (b) Candidates for lieutenant governor, $26,000 $13,000.
212212 (c) Candidates for attorney general, $44,000 $22,000.
213213 (d) Candidates for secretary of state, state treasurer, state superintendent, or
214214 justice, $18,000 $9,000.
215215 (e) Candidates for state senator, $2,000 $1,000.
216216 (f) Candidates for representative to the assembly, $1,000 $500.
217217 (g) Candidates for court of appeals judge in districts that contain a county
218218 having a population of more than 750,000, $6,000 $3,000.
219219 (h) Candidates for court of appeals judge in other districts, $5,000 $2,500.
220220 (i) Candidates for circuit judge in circuits having a population of more than
221221 300,000, or candidates for district attorney in prosecutorial units having a
222222 population of more than 300,000, $6,000 $3,000.
223223 (j) Candidates for circuit judge in other circuits or candidates for district
224224 attorney in other prosecutorial units, $2,000 $1,000.
225225 (k) Candidates for local offices, an amount equal to the greater of the following:
226226 1. Four Two hundred dollars.
227227 2. Two cents One cent times the number of inhabitants of the jurisdiction or
228228 district, according to the latest federal census or the census information on which the
229229 1
230230 2
231231 3
232232 4
233233 5
234234 6
235235 7
236236 8
237237 9
238238 10
239239 11
240240 12
241241 13
242242 14
243243 15
244244 16
245245 17
246246 18
247247 19
248248 20
249249 21
250250 22
251251 23
252252 24 - 6 -2023 - 2024 Legislature LRB-4640/1
253253 JK:amn
254254 SECTION 7 ASSEMBLY BILL 733
255255 district is based, as certified by the appropriate filing officer, but not more than
256256 $5,000 $2,500.
257257 SECTION 8. 11.1101 (5) of the statutes is created to read:
258258 11.1101 (5) POLITICAL PARTIES AND LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEES. A political
259259 party or legislative campaign committee may contribute to a candidate committee
260260 no more than the following amounts specified for the candidate whose nomination
261261 or election the candidate committee supports:
262262 (a) Candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state
263263 treasurer, attorney general, state superintendent, or justice, $10,000.
264264 (b) Candidates for state senator, $1,000.
265265 (c) Candidates for representative to the assembly, $1,000.
266266 (d) Candidates for court of appeals judge in districts which contain a county
267267 having a population of more than 750,000, $3,000.
268268 (e) Candidates for court of appeals judge in other districts, $2,500.
269269 (f) Candidates for circuit judge in circuits having a population of more than
270270 300,000, or candidates for district attorney in prosecutorial units having a
271271 population of more than 300,000, $3,000.
272272 (g) Candidates for circuit judge in other circuits or candidates for district
273273 attorney in other prosecutorial units, $1,000.
274274 (h) Candidates for local offices, an amount equal to the greater of the following:
275275 1. Two hundred dollars.
276276 2. One cent times the number of inhabitants of the jurisdiction or district,
277277 according to the latest federal census or the census information on which the district
278278 is based, as certified by the appropriate filing officer, but not more than $2,500.
279279 1
280280 2
281281 3
282282 4
283283 5
284284 6
285285 7
286286 8
287287 9
288288 10
289289 11
290290 12
291291 13
292292 14
293293 15
294294 16
295295 17
296296 18
297297 19
298298 20
299299 21
300300 22
301301 23
302302 24 - 7 -2023 - 2024 Legislature
303303 LRB-4640/1
304304 JK:amn
305305 SECTION 9
306306 ASSEMBLY BILL 733
307307 SECTION 9. 11.1103 (1) (intro.) and (2) (intro.) of the statutes, as affected by 2021
308308 Wisconsin Act 265, are amended to read:
309309 11.1103 (1) (intro.) For an individual who is a candidate seeking reelection to
310310 the office that the individual holds, the limits under s. 11.1101 (1) to (4) (5) apply as
311311 follows:
312312 (2) (intro.) For an individual who is a candidate for an office that the individual
313313 does not hold, the limits under s. 11.1101 (1) to (4) (5) apply as follows:
314314 SECTION 10. 11.1103 (3) of the statutes, as created by 2021 Wisconsin Act 265,
315315 is amended to read:
316316 11.1103 (3) For an individual seeking election to an office at a special election,
317317 the limits under s. 11.1101 (1) to (4) (5) apply from the date on which the individual
318318 becomes a candidate to the 22nd day after the election. If the individual is elected
319319 at the special election, the limits under s. 11.1101 (1) to (4) (5) apply from the 23rd
320320 day after the special election to the end of the applicable period under sub. (1).
321321 SECTION 11. 11.1104 of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:
322322 11.1104 Exceptions. (1) For the period beginning on the day after the day
323323 of the general election and ending on the day of the next general election, no person
324324 may make any of the following contributions in a total amount exceeding $10,000:
325325 (a) Contributions to a political action committee.
326326 (b) Contributions transferred between political action committees.
327327 (c) Contributions to a legislative campaign committee.
328328 (d) Contributions to a political party.
329329 (e) Contributions made by a political party or legislative campaign committee
330330 to a candidate committee.
331331 1
332332 2
333333 3
334334 4
335335 5
336336 6
337337 7
338338 8
339339 9
340340 10
341341 11
342342 12
343343 13
344344 14
345345 15
346346 16
347347 17
348348 18
349349 19
350350 20
351351 21
352352 22
353353 23
354354 24 - 8 -2023 - 2024 Legislature LRB-4640/1
355355 JK:amn
356356 SECTION 11 ASSEMBLY BILL 733
357357 (f) Contributions transferred between the candidates for governor and
358358 lieutenant governor of the same political party.
359359 (g) Contributions used to pay legal fees and other expenses incurred as a result
360360 of a recount under s. 9.01.
361361 (h) Contributions used to pay legal fees and other expenses incurred in
362362 connection with or in response to circulating, offering to file, or filing a petition to
363363 recall an office holder prior to the time that a recall primary or election is ordered,
364364 or after that time if incurred to contest or defend the order.
365365 (i) Contributions to a recall committee.
366366 (j) Contributions to a referendum committee.
367367 (k) Contributions to an independent expenditure committee.
368368 (2) A candidate may make unlimited contributions from the candidate's
369369 personal funds or property or the personal funds or property that are owned jointly
370370 or as marital property with the candidate's spouse to his or her candidate committee.
371371 SECTION 12. 11.1112 of the statutes is amended to read:
372372 11.1112 Corporations, cooperatives, and tribes. No foreign or domestic
373373 corporation, no association organized under ch. 185 or 193, no labor organization,
374374 and no federally recognized American Indian Tribe may make a contribution to a
375375 committee, other than an independent expenditure committee or referendum
376376 committee, but may make a contribution to a segregated fund as provided under s.
377377 11.1104 (6) in amounts not to exceed $12,000 in the aggregate in a calendar year.
378378 SECTION 13. 11.1113 (3) (b) of the statutes, as affected by 2021 Wisconsin Act
379379 265, is amended to read:
380380 11.1113 (3) (b) A contribution made to a candidate committee, political party,
381381 or legislative campaign committee by a single-member limited liability company in
382382 1
383383 2
384384 3
385385 4
386386 5
387387 6
388388 7
389389 8
390390 9
391391 10
392392 11
393393 12
394394 13
395395 14
396396 15
397397 16
398398 17
399399 18
400400 19
401401 20
402402 21
403403 22
404404 23
405405 24
406406 25 - 9 -2023 - 2024 Legislature
407407 LRB-4640/1
408408 JK:amn
409409 SECTION 13
410410 ASSEMBLY BILL 733
411411 which the sole member is an individual is considered a contribution made by that
412412 individual and subject to the individual limits under s. 11.1101 (1). A limited liability
413413 company that makes a contribution under this paragraph shall affirm to the
414414 candidate committee, political party, or legislative campaign committee that it is a
415415 single-member limited liability company in which the sole member is an individual
416416 and eligible to make the contribution.
417417 SECTION 14. 11.1204 (4) of the statutes is created to read:
418418 11.1204 (4) No person may make contributions to a political party or legislative
419419 campaign committee except as provided under s. 11.1101 (1) to (5).
420420 SECTION 15.0Initial applicability.
421421 (1) This act first applies to contributions made on January 1, 2024.
422422 (END)
423423 1
424424 2
425425 3
426426 4
427427 5
428428 6
429429 7
430430 8
431431 9
432432 10
433433 11
434434 12