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Expenditures Definition of "Expenditure" Ads that use the "magic words" J"vote for..." "vote against..."`. "s pp ort...4444 1 "defeat...") aired at any time would be considered expenditures. Also, there would be a rebuttable presumption that expenditures of over$100 in a legislative race or over$500 in a state-wide race that appear 45 days before the primary or 60 days before the general electiofi that identify or depict a candidate are campaign expenditures. If an expenditure meets these criteria but is not electioneering, the speaker would have the option of filing a statement, under the penalty of perjury, stating that this is the case. This definition is basically the one recommended by the Brennan Center for Justice, based on a comprehensive study of political advertising. Exemption for membership organizations. Communications between an organization and its members and corporations and their executive and administrative employees are exempt from the detinition of "expenditure". This proposal rite~hides late gt age ►ety similar to that used at the ,federal level. Independent Expenditures Definition of "Independent Expenditure" An expenditure made by a person or group other than a candidate or the candidate's committee is presumed not to be independent if that individual or group uses the same consulting firm as the candidate, replicates the candidate's campaign materials, receives information from the candidate, tells the candidate about the expenditure. or serves as a key player in the candidate's campaign. Notice/ Reporting of independent expenditures An individual or association making independent expenditures in excess of$500 in the aggregate is required to file a report within 48 hours of making or becoming obligated to make the expenditures. During the last 7 days before an election, they must be reported within 24 hours. The reporting requirements for independent expenditures are designed to be as simple as possible: one threshold, regardless zf the expenditure is in a legislative or a statewide race; till reports nnust he made within 38 hours, wiless ther7 `t-e made in the last week of the campaign. in which case they must he made within 24 hotirs, because timing at that point is c-ritictil. Matching independent expenditures Under some circumstances. participating candidates will receive an additional public subsidy to match independent expenditures. up to twice their original spending limit. The actions of a group that is supporting a particular candidate cannot trigger matching funds for that candidate. If an independent expenditure advocates the defeat of a participating candidate, that candidate will receive an amount equal to the value of the independent expenditure. If an independent expenditure advocates the election of a financially viable candidate, that candidate's participating opponents will receive an amount equal to 1/2 of the independent expenditure.