Contributions to PACs

Individual ® PAC

Corporate/Union ® PAC

Political Party ® PAC

PAC ® PAC Transfers

Alabama
§10-2A-70.2

Unlimited

$500/election

Unlimited

Alaska
§15.13.070

$1,000/year

Only 10% of a PACs contributions may come from non-Alaska residents

Prohibited

Unlimited

$2,000/year

Arizona
§16-90

An individual may not contribute an aggregate amount in excess of $3,530 per calendar year to candidates and committees that give to candidates.

Prohibited

Arkansas

Unlimited

California

Limit effective after 1/1/05:

$5,600/election

To qualify as a “small contributor committee,” a PAC may not accept more than $200 from a single person in a calendar year

Limit effective after 1/1/05:

$5,600/election

Colorado
Const. Art. 28

$500/2-year election cycle

Prohibited, except a corporation or labor organization may establish a political committee or small donor committee which may accept contributions or dues from employees, officeholders, shareholders, or members.

$500/2-year election cycle

Connecticut
§9-333s and 333t

$2,000/calendar year

Individuals may not make contributions to any political committee formed by an “organization” that receives funds from its own treasury.

A political committee organized by a business entity may make unlimited contributions to, or for the benefit of, another political committee organized by a business entity

Unlimited

$2,000/calendar year except that a political committee organized by a business entity may make unlimited contributions to, or for the benefit of, another political committee organized by a business entity.

Delaware
§15-8012

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

Florida
§106.08

$500/election to political committees

Contributions to CCEs are unlimited, as long as the committee maintains 25% of its annual income, excluding interest, from dues or assessments by its membership.

$500/election

Unlimited

$500/election

A CCE may contribute up to 25% of its aggregate income to a political committee

Georgia
§21-5-41

Unlimited

Hawaii
§11-204(b)

$1,000/election

In the case of a corporation or company using funds from its own treasury, there shall be no limit on contributions or expenditures to the corporation or company noncandidate committee.

$1,000/election

Idaho
§67-6610A

Unlimited

Illinois
10 ILCS 5/9-1 et seq.

Unlimited

Indiana
§3-9-2-4

Unlimited

Direct corporate and labor organization contributions to PACs must be “earmarked,” meaning designated by the corporation or labor organization to go to one or more of the following categories and are subject to the limitations of each category:

Statewide candidates ($5,000)

Senate candidates ($2,000)

House candidates ($2,000)

State party central committees ($5,000)

Other political party committees ($2,000)

The limits listed in parentheses above are aggregate limits and may be apportioned in any manner among all candidates for that category.

Unlimited

Iowa
§68A.503

Unlimited

Corporate contributions are prohibited

Union contributions are unlimited

Unlimited

Kansas
§25-4153

Unlimited

Kentucky
§121.150(10)

$1,500/year in the aggregate to all permanent committees in any one year

Prohibited

$1,500/year in the aggregate to all permanent committees in any one year

$1,500/year in the aggregate to all permanent committees in any one year^a

Louisiana
§18:1505.2(K)

$100,000/4-year election cycle

Unlimited

Regular PAC:

$5,000/$2,500/$1,000 per 4-year election cycle

Big PAC:

$10,000/$5,000/$2,000 per 4-year election cycle^b

Maine
21-A MRSA §1001 et seq.

Unlimited

Note: Funds that an organization earmarks or directs through a PAC to a specific candidate is considered to be a contribution by the organization to the candidate. Contributions to candidates are subject to limits.

Unlimited

Maryland
Election Law
§13-226

$4,000/4-year election cycle

$6,000/4-year election cycle

Massachusetts
Ch. 55, § 6, 6A, 7A and 8

$500/calendar year

Lobbyists limited to $200/calendar year

Prohibited

$500/calendar year

Michigan
§169.252a and §169.254

$20,000/calendar year to a house or senate caucus committee

Contributions to all other PACs are unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

A political or independent committee that is established as a separate segregated fund is not permitted to solicit or accept contributions from another PAC, or from any

person who is not allowed to contribute to the separate segregated fund.

Otherwise unlimited

Minnesota
§10A.27

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

Mississippi
§97-13-15

Unlimited

$1,000/calendar year

Unlimited

Missouri
§130-032

Unlimited

Montana
§13-37-216

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

Nebraska
§32-1608

Unlimited

Nevada
Const. Art. 2 §10

Unlimited

New Hampshire
§664:4,V

$5,000/election

Unlimited

New Jersey
§ 19:44A-11.3

$7,200/year

$7,200/year for national party committees

Unlimited for state, county, municipal and legislative party committees

$7,200/year

New Mexico
§1-19-1 et seq.

Unlimited

New York
Election Law §14-116(2)

PACs are subject to the same contribution limits as candidate committees.

A portion of every contribution to a political committee authorized to support more than one candidate, shall be deemed contributed to every candidate supported by such committee. That portion shall be determined by allocating the contributions received by the committee among all the candidates supported by the committee in accordance with any formula based upon reasonable standards established by the committee.

Each separately incorporated corporation may spend $5,000 on all political activity in each calendar year.

See explanation under Individual to PAC column.

North Carolina
§163.278.13

$4,000/election

Prohibited

Unlimited

$4,000/election

North Dakota
§16.1-08.1-03.3

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

Ohio
§3517.102

$10,000/calendar year

Corporate contributions prohibited.

Union contributions limited to $10,000/calendar year

$10,000/calendar year

Oklahoma
Ethics Cmsn. Rules
§257:10-1-2(a)

$5,000/calendar year

*This limit applies to an entire family, defined as an individual, his spouse, and all children under 18 living in the same household.

Prohibited

Oregon

Unlimited

Pennsylvania
25 Pa. Stat. §3253

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

Rhode Island
§17-25-10.1

$1,000/calendar year

An individual’s combined contributions to candidates, PACs and party committees cannot exceed $10,000/calendar year

Prohibited

$1,000/calendar year

South Carolina
§8-13-1322

$3,500/calendar year

South Dakota
§12-25-1.1

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

Tennessee
§2-10-302

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

Texas
Elec. §253

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

Utah

Unlimited

Vermont
Tit. 17 §2805

$2,000/2-year election cycle

Virginia

Unlimited

Washington
§42.17.640

Unlimited

During the last 21 days before an election, no contributor may donate more than $5,000 to a candidate or political committee.

Unlimited

21-day rule applies (see left)

Unlimited

21-day rule applies (see left)

Unlimited

21-day rule applies (see left)

West Virginia
§3-8-8

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

Wisconsin
§11.26

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

Wyoming
§22-25-102

Unlimited

Prohibited

Unlimited

An advisory opinion by the Registry for Campaign Finance determined that a PAC is a person under Ky. Rev. Stat. §121.150(11). Consequently, one PAC may not contribute to another PAC to avoid expenditure limits. AO 93-001.

(b) In Louisiana, the applicable limit for PAC-to-PAC transfers is determined by the level of office sought by the candidates supported/opposed by the recipient PAC, e.g., a contribution by a PAC to another PAC supporting only major office candidates is subject to the $5,000 limit (or the $10,000 limit if the contributor is a Big PAC). If the PAC receiving the contribution supports candidates for more than one type of office, then the highest limit shall apply. (http://www.ethics.state.la.us/laws/pacsum.htm)

(c) Under Florida law, a “committee of continuous existence” (CCE) must maintain 25% of its annual income from dues or assessments of its membership. CCEs may contribute only to candidates, political committees or political parties, and may not make independent expenditures without first registering as a political committee.

Limits to PACs