Montgomery County Delegation

County Affairs Committee

 Amendment

 February 7, 2008

Bill No.:                                  MC 803-08  

Title:                                        Montgomery County – Regulation of Local Campaign Finance Activity  

AMENDMENT No. 1 [Technical]: This amendment makes technical amendments to the purpose paragraph of this bill.

On page 1, in lines 5 and 7, in each instance, before “campaign” insert “public”; and in line 5, after “for” insert “certain”.

AMENDMENT No. 2:

         On page 2, strike in their entirety lines 19 through 33 and substitute:

            “(a)     Subject to the provisions of this section, the governing body of Montgomery County may enact laws to regulate public campaign finance activity for Montgomery County elective officers and candidates for election to those offices who choose to accept public campaign financing.

            (b)       A law enacted under subsection (a) of this section may not regulate Montgomery County elective officers or candidates for election to those offices who do not receive any public campaign financing.

            (c)       A law enacted  under subsection (a) of this section shall:

(1)       prohibit the use of public campaign financing for any election other than that of a Montgomery County elective office;

(2)       require a candidate who accepts public campaign financing to:

            (i)        establish a campaign finance entity solely for the campaign for a Montgomery County elective office; and

            (ii)       only use funds from that campaign finance entity for the campaign for Montgomery County elective office; and

(3)       prohibit the transfer of funds into the campaign finance entity established for the Montgomery County elective office by a candidate who accepts public campaign financing from any other campaign finance entity previously established for the candidate.

            (d)       A law enacted under subsection (a) of this section shall be administered by the local board of elections for Montgomery County.

            (e)       A law enacted under subsection (a) of this section may:

                        (1)       establish a system of public campaign financing; and

                        (2)       include provisions relating to contributions, and expenditures, reporting campaign material, and, as provided under Article 25A, § 5 of the Code, administrative penalties.

            (f)       A law enacted under subsection (a) of this section:

                        (1)       may be more stringent than any applicable law of the State and modified to the extent necessary to make the provisions relevant to Montgomery County; but

                        (2)       may not conflict with any applicable law of the State or the United States.”.