Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 3517 | Campaigns; Political Parties
Section 3517.1013 | Gifts to Defray Costs of Campaign Activities - Separate Account - Statement to Be Filed.

Effective: March 31, 2005
Latest Legislation: House Bill 1SPECIALSESSION - 125th General Assembly
(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Gift" means a gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money, or anything of value given to a state political party that is specifically designated and used to defray any cost incurred on or after the effective date of this section for voter registration, voter identification, get-out-the-vote, or generic campaign activities, and that is not used for the purpose of directly influencing the election of any individual candidate in any particular election for any office.
(2) "Address" has the same meaning as in section 3517.10 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Political party" means a major political party as defined in section 3501.01 of the Revised Code.
(B)(1) Notwithstanding section 3599.03 of the Revised Code, any person, including a for-profit or nonprofit corporation, but not including a public utility, may make a gift to a Levin account as described in division (D) of this section, if the gift is specifically designated and used to defray any cost incurred on or after the effective date of this section for voter registration, voter identification, get-out-the-vote, or generic campaign activities that would not otherwise be considered a contribution or expenditure.
(2)(a) All gifts made by a corporation, nonprofit corporation, or labor organization under division (B)(1) of this section shall be limited to an aggregate amount of ten thousand dollars in a calendar year in which a candidate for federal office will appear on a ballot at an election to be held in this state.
(b) No corporation, nonprofit corporation, or labor organization shall make a gift under division (B)(1) of this section in any year in which no candidate for federal office will appear on the ballot at an election to be held in this state.
(3) The limitation described in division (B)(2)(a) of this section is in addition to any limitation described in section 3517.1012 or any other section of the Revised Code.
(C)(1) Each state political party that receives a gift under this section shall file, by electronic means of transmission to the office of the secretary of state, a full, true, and itemized statement describing the gift received and the manner in which disbursements were made from the account. The statement shall be filed at the same time as and in conjunction with each filing of a deposit and disbursement statement by the state political party in accordance with division (B) of section 3517.1012 of the Revised Code.
(2) Each statement required under division (C)(1) of this section shall contain all of the following information:
(a) The full name and address of the state political party filing the statement and the full name and address of the party's treasurer;
(b) A description of each gift received, which shall include all of the following:
(i) The month, day, and year on which the gift was received;
(ii) The full name and address of each donor of the gift;
(iii) The nature of the gift, if other than money;
(iv) The value of the gift in dollars and cents. Each gift received shall be itemized separately, regardless of its amount or value.
(c) An itemization of the manner in which each disbursement was made, which shall include all of the following:
(i) The name and address of the recipient of the disbursement;
(ii) The date of the disbursement;
(iii) The amount of the disbursement;
(iv) The method by which the disbursement was made, such as by cash or check.
(d) The total value of gifts received and gifts disbursed during the reporting period.
(D) All monetary gifts given pursuant to this section shall be deposited in an account separate from other funds and shall be maintained in that separate account, which account shall be designated a "Levin account." Moneys in a Levin account shall be used only for voter registration, voter identification, get-out-the-vote, or generic campaign activities that would not otherwise be considered a contribution or expenditure.
(E)(1) No state political party shall fail to file a statement required to be filed under this section.
(2) No state political party shall knowingly fail to report, or shall knowingly misrepresent, a gift required to be reported on a statement required to be filed under this section.
(F) No state political party shall expend or use a gift received under this section for a purpose other than to defray a cost incurred on or after the effective date of this section for voter registration, voter identification, get-out-the-vote, or generic campaign activities that would not otherwise be considered a contribution or expenditure.
(G)(1) Before receiving a gift under this section, each state political party shall appoint a treasurer and file, on a form prescribed by the secretary of state, a designation of that appointment. The designation shall include the full name and address of the political party for which the person has been appointed treasurer. The designation shall be filed with the secretary of state.
(2) The treasurer shall keep a strict account of all gifts required to be reported under this section.
(3) A state political party that has already filed the form required under division (G)(1) of this section prior to receiving a contribution or making an expenditure is considered to have met the requirements of that division.
(H) Upon request, the secretary of state shall issue a receipt for each statement filed under this section. The secretary of state shall maintain a record of the filing for at least six years. All statements filed under this section shall be open to public inspection in the office in which they are filed.

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