ORS 260.014: Permissible contributors; permissible local government contribution limits; limits on acceptance of contributions by specified office; limits on contributions by specified entity; rules.

(1)(a) A candidate for state office or the principal campaign committee of a candidate for state office may accept contributions only from the sources and in the amounts described in this section. (b) An in-kind contribution under this section may only be made by a contributor that is authorized to make a contribution under this chapter and may only be received by a political committee. (c) Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this subsection, the limits on aggregate contributions that may be accepted by a candidate or the principal campaign committee of a candidate for the office of state Representative under this section also apply to a candidate or the principal campaign committee of a candidate for any public office that is not a state office. (d)(A) Any local government that, as of January 1, 2024, had a system of contribution limits in effect for local elections may maintain or adopt contribution limits that are lower than those required by this section and may limit the sources that may make contributions to candidates in local elections, except that a local government system of contribution limits described in this subparagraph must permit small donor political committees to accept contributions from individuals of up to $250 per year, as provided in subsection (8)(a) of this section. (B) For any local government that is not described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph: (i) Except as provided in subsection (8)(a) of this section, a local government may adopt contribution limits that are lower than those required by this section for elections of the local government. (ii) Any contribution limits adopted by a local government under this subparagraph must allow a candidate or the principal campaign committee of a candidate for an election contest of the local government to accept contributions from any political committee from which a candidate or the principal campaign committee of a candidate for the office of state Representative may accept contributions under subsection (2)(a) of this section. (C) Any local government may provide public funding for campaigns for local government public office that are not subject to contribution limits under this section or ORS 260.016. (2) A candidate or the principal campaign committee of a candidate for the office of state Representative, state Senator, circuit court judge or district attorney: (a) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $3,300 per election from a person. (b) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $2,000 per election from a candidate political committee. (c) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $5,000 per election cycle from a multicandidate political committee. (d) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $15,000 per election from a political party committee. (e) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $15,000 per election from a legislative caucus committee. (f) May not accept aggregate contributions from a membership organization or membership organization political committee per election in excess of $3,300 times four. (g) May not accept aggregate contributions per election from a small donor political committee in excess of $5 times the number of donors to the small donor political committee. (3) A candidate or the principal campaign committee of a candidate for a state office not described in subsection (2) of this section: (a) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $3,300 per election from a person. (b) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $2,000 per election cycle from a candidate political committee. (c) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $5,000 per election cycle from a multicandidate political committee. (d) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $30,000 per election from a political party committee. (e) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $30,000 per election from a legislative caucus committee. (f) May not accept aggregate contributions from a membership organization or membership organization political committee per election in excess of $3,300 times eight. (g) May not accept aggregate contributions per election from a small donor political committee in excess of $10 times the number of donors to the small donor political committee. (4) A multicandidate political committee: (a) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $5,000 per election cycle from a person. (b) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $5,000 per year from a candidate political committee. (c) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $5,000 per year from another multicandidate political committee. (d) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $5,000 per election cycle from a political party committee. (e) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $5,000 per year from a legislative caucus committee. (f) May not accept aggregate contributions from a membership organization or membership organization political committee in excess of $5,000 per year. (g) May not accept aggregate contributions from a small donor political committee per election in excess of $5,000 per year. (5) A political party committee: (a) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $10,000 per year from a person. (b) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $5,000 per year from a candidate political committee. (c) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $15,000 per year from a multicandidate political committee. (d) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $15,000 per year from another political party committee. (e) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $15,000 per year from a legislative caucus committee. (f) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $10,000 per year from a membership organization or membership organization political committee. (g) May not accept aggregate contributions from a small donor political committee in excess of $10,000 per year. (6) A legislative caucus committee: (a) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $10,000 per year from a person. (b) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $5,000 per year from a candidate political committee. (c) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $15,000 per year from a multicandidate political committee. (d) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $15,000 per year from a political party committee. (e) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $15,000 per year from another legislative caucus committee. (f) May not accept aggregate contributions in excess of $10,000 per year from a membership organization or membership organization political committee. (g) May not accept aggregate contributions from a small donor political committee in excess of $10,000 per year. (7) Contributions to a measure political committee are not limited under this section. (8)(a) A small donor political committee: (A) May not accept contributions in excess of $250 per year from an individual. (B) May not accept contributions from a candidate political committee, multicandidate political committee, political party committee, legislative caucus committee or a membership organization. (C) May not accept contributions from another small donor political committee. (b) The number of donors to a small donor political committee shall be determined by the number of unique individuals who have donated funds to the committee during the election cycle in which the small donor political committee donation is made. (9) A membership organization: (a) May accept unlimited donations from a person and from another membership organization or membership organization political committee. (b) May not accept donations from a candidate political committee, multicandidate political committee, political party committee, legislative caucus committee or a small donor political committee. (10) A donor may not make a contribution, or an aggregate of contributions during an applicable limitation period, to a recipient that exceeds the amount a recipient could accept under the limitations of subsections (2) to (9) of this section. This subsection does not apply to in-kind contributions described in ORS 260.016 (2). (11)(a) A political committee may make a contribution to a candidate for state office or the principal campaign committee of a candidate for state office only if the political committee is registered with the Secretary of State as a multicandidate political committee, a political party multicandidate committee, a legislative caucus committee, a membership organization political committee, the principal campaign committee of a candidate or a small donor political committee. (b) A measure political committee or recall political committee may not make a contribution to a candidate or the principal campaign committee of a candidate for a state office. (12)(a) A membership organization may make in-kind contributions of up to 12 months per year of full-time staff equivalence for a campaign for the office of state Representative or state Senator and may make in-kind contributions of up to 36 months per year of full-time staff equivalence for a campaign for statewide elected office, provided that the staff time is limited to administrative support, direct voter contact, community organizing, community outreach and staff support for direct voter contact, community organizing or community outreach activities. (b) The organization must measure full-time staff equivalence from staff or members of the organization who attest that they are not currently employed as pollsters, political consultants or candidate campaign strategists and that they have not served as a pollster, political consultant or candidate campaign strategist for at least the previous 18 months. (c) The organization must be solely responsible for the pay, benefits, employment status and other human resources of every staff person or member of the organization facilitating contributions under this subsection. (d) The Secretary of State shall by rule define “administrative support,” “community organizing,” “community outreach,” “direct voter contact” and “staff support” for purposes of this subsection. (13) Nothing in this section limits the amount a candidate may contribute from the candidate’s personal funds to the candidate or the principal campaign committee of the candidate. (14)(a) For purposes of the contribution limits established in this section, contributions made or received by multiple political committees are considered to be made or received by a single political committee if: (A) The political committees have filed to operate as the same type of political committee under ORS 260.042; and (B) The political committees are established, financed, maintained or controlled by the same person or substantially the same group of persons, including any parent, subsidiary, branch, division, department or local unit of the person or group of persons. (b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subsection, independent businesses, entities, affiliates or local groups of any structure operating under the same corporate family or umbrella organization may not be considered established, financed, maintained or controlled by the same person or within the same group of persons if the independent businesses, entities, affiliates or local groups have the authority to make independent decisions as to which candidate, if any, to support or oppose. (c) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subsection, having the same person acting as the treasurer of two or more political committees is not by itself sufficient to consider contributions made by the political committees to be contributions made or received by a single political committee. (15) For purposes of the contribution limits established in this section, contributions made by multiple persons are considered to be made or received by a single person if the persons are established, financed, maintained or controlled by the same person or substantially the same group of persons, including any parent, subsidiary, branch, division, department or local unit of the person or group of persons. (16)(a) For purposes of candidate contributions, clubs, societies, associations, organizations or anonymous limited liability companies are not authorized contributors. (b) This subsection does not apply to membership organizations. (17) A candidate seeking a minor party nomination shall be considered to be participating in the primary election for the purposes of the contribution limits established in this section. (18) The Secretary of State may adopt rules necessary to implement this section. [2024 c.9 §4]