Disclosure Digest: Idaho legislator introduces bill increasing disclosure requirements

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Idaho legislator introduces bill increasing disclosure requirements

On Feb. 21, Idaho Sen. Patti Anne Lodge (R) introduced a bill in the Idaho Senate that would require candidates for state office to report contributions over a certain amount in both election and non-election years. Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy (R) is co-sponsoring the bill.

What the bill would do

Idaho law requires candidates to report campaign contributions  and expenditures of more than $1,000 every month during election years. In off years, candidates are only required to report contributions of $1,000 or more within 48 hours of receiving the donation. Local elections in Idaho are generally held in odd years while statewide elections are held in even years. Idaho S1337 would lower the threshold for contribution or expenditure reporting from $1,000 to $500, requiring any candidate receiving contributions or making expenditures over that amount to begin filing a monthly contribution report regardless of which year the contribution occurred. 

Lodge said she introduced the bill after individuals contacted her asking for the change and attributed the requests to recent changes to the Secretary of State’s online campaign finance system. The new system, implemented in January, 2022, allows users to view contributions and expenditures for each candidate as they are submitted. “This legislation was brought to me by several different folks after they started watching the campaign finance as it’s being presented in our new system,” Lodge said. 

Lodge told the Senate State Affairs Committee the bill would increase the transparency of campaign finance reporting in the state: “This was brought for transparency because elections have become year-round now. It’s for those that are collecting a lot of money and aren’t reporting anything, and then all of a sudden you see that $20 million has been placed in our campaigns and there’s no transparency on it.” The committee held a hearing on the bill on Feb. 25. 

Idaho has a Republican trifecta, meaning the Republican Party controls both chambers of the legislature and the governorship. Republicans have a 58-12 majority in the Idaho House of Representatives and a 28-7 majority in the Idaho Senate. 

Of the 118 bills Ballotpedia is currently tracking, 26 would modify contribution thresholds in some way. Of these 26 bills, 12 have not progressed beyond being introduced, 13 have been referred to legislative committees, and one is dead. 

What we’ve been reading

• Anchorage Daily News, “National Republican group sidesteps new disclosure law with $3 million donation in Alaska governor’s race,” Feb. 18, 2022
• Sludge, “Florida Republican Introduces ALEC Bill to Protect Dark Money in Politics,” Feb. 25, 2022
• New York Focus, “More Than Three Thousand Campaigns Violated Campaign Finance Law. The State Board of Elections Brought Enforcement Actions Against Zero.,” Feb. 25, 2022

The big picture

Number of relevant bills by state: We’re currently tracking 118 pieces of legislation dealing with donor disclosure and privacy. Ninety-seven of these bills are primarily focused on disclosure, and 21 are primarily focused on privacy. To reflect this distinction, the charts in this section and the recent legislative actions below are divided between disclosure legislation and privacy legislation. On the maps below, a darker shade of green indicates a greater number of relevant bills. Click here for a complete list of all the bills we’re tracking. 

Donor disclosure legislation

Number of relevant bills by current legislative status: 

Number of relevant bills by partisan status of sponsor(s): 

Donor privacy legislation

Number of relevant bills by current legislative status: 

Number of relevant bills by partisan status of sponsor(s): 

Recent legislative actions

For complete information on all of the bills we are tracking, click here. 

Donor disclosure legislation

• Colorado HB1060: This bill would set limits on contributions to candidates for school district director and require candidates to disclose campaign contribution information to the secretary of state. 
  • Democratic sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 25.
• Florida H0921: This bill would prohibit a foreign national from making or offering to make contributions or expenditures in connection with any election held in the state.
  • Republican sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 24.
• Idaho S1337: This bill would require any candidate who receives contributions or makes expenditures that total $500 or more to begin filing a monthly report by the 10th day of the month following the month being reported. This requirement would apply to both election years and non-election years. 
  • Republican sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 22.
• Indiana SB0134:  This bill would require appropriations of any money donation from a nongovernmental organization to a state agency or local unit of government to be listed in a separate line item in the budget of the state or local unit of government. The budget line item described in subdivision must specify each individual state employee or local government employee, whichever is applicable, whose salary is funded in whole or in part from the donated money.
  • Republican sponsorship
  • This bill was enacted on Feb. 23.
• Iowa HF2514: This bill would require candidate committees to report the aggregate amount of contributions made by each donor and loans received from any person during the reporting period.
  • Democratic sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 23.
• Kansas SB537: This bill would require state agencies, political subdivisions, state contractors and vendors to disclose certain contracts, gifts or grants received from foreign sources.
  • Unknown sponsorship
  • This bill was introduced on Feb. 23.
• Maryland SB15: This bill would allow the state board of elections to impose a civil penalty for failure to report and maintain a record of campaign contributions. It would also prohibit an individual from running for office or becoming the treasurer of a campaign committee if they fail to pay a civil penalty under this section. 
  • Democratic sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 25.

• Minnesota SF3281: This bill would require entities making independent expenditures to name the three individuals or entities making the largest contribution required to be reported under chapter 10A to the expending entity during the 12-month period before the expenditure was published or presented to the public
  • Democratic sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 21.
• Minnesota SF3283: This bill would prohibit a candidate or political committee from accepting a contribution if in exchange for the contribution the candidate or committee is granted special access to a meeting room, hospitality area, or other event space where public officials are likely to gather.
  • Democratic sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 21.
• Wyoming HB0049: This bill would increase the penalty for failing to file disclosure reports.
  • Unknown sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 24.
• Wyoming HB0080: This bill would require all campaigns and political action committees to file an itemized statement of contributions and expenditures.
  • Unknown sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 23.

Donor privacy legislation

• Connecticut HB05222: This bill would repeal the requirement for paid solicitors to submit the text of planned solicitations and remove the ability of the Department of Consumer Protection to inspect contribution records upon request. 
  • Unknown sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 24.
• Kansas HB2495: This bill would prohibit a state agency from requesting or releasing the personal information of donors to 501(c) organizations.
  • Unknown sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 23.
• Kansas HB2579: This bill would allow a candidate for state office to request an exemption from the electronic filing requirement for campaign finance reports.
  • Unknown sponsorship
  • This bill passed the lower chamber on Feb. 23.
• Kansas SB429: This bill would allow a candidate for state office to request an exemption from the electronic filing requirement for campaign finance reports.
  • Unknown sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 21.
• Louisiana HB170: This bill would allow candidates, officeholders, and political committees to accept contributions in the form of cryptocurrency. 
  • Republican sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 24.
• New Hampshire SB302: This bill would prohibit public agencies and bodies from disclosing any information that directly or indirectly identifies a person as a member, supporter, volunteer, or donor of financial or nonfinancial support, to any nonprofit organization and from requiring a nonprofit to disclose information about its donors. 
  • Bipartisan sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 22.
• Alaska HB381: This bill would repeal the reporting requirements for contributions of more than $2,000. 
  • Republican sponsorship
  • This bill was referred to committee on Feb. 22.

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