SB578 Summary

• Makes officers, directors, servants, and employees of political action committees criminally liable for any violations of the Fair Campaign Practices Act committed on behalf of the committee.

• Prohibits political action committees from accepting contributions that violate the Fair Campaign Practices Act or accepting and using contributions obtained from another state, with violations constituting a Class C felony.

• Establishes a procedure for handling unsolicited or unwanted contributions, requiring committees to contact donors and return prohibited contributions within seven business days.

• Authorizes the Alabama Secretary of State to establish an investigations division with subpoena power to monitor political action committees, assess administrative fines up to $5,000, and refer violations to the Attorney General or district attorney for prosecution.

• Extends the statute of limitations for prosecuting violations of campaign finance laws to four years for certain violations occurring outside Alabama, with venue in Montgomery County when applicable.