Bill Summary: HB 5529

• Establishes that if the Citizens' Election Fund has insufficient funds to pay required grants to qualified candidate committees during an election cycle, revenues from the corporate tax under chapter 208 shall be deposited into the fund to cover the insufficiency, effective October 1, 2020.

• Requires that any aggregate amounts deposited into the Citizens' Election Fund from corporate tax revenues be deducted from the amount deposited into the fund under section 3-69a for the following fiscal year.

• Makes candidates and treasurers of qualified candidate committees jointly and severally liable for excess expenditures beyond applicable limits, and prohibits them from receiving additional grants if the State Elections Enforcement Commission determines they had knowledge of the violation.

• Allows the Commission to waive penalties for excess expenditures deemed de minimis, and requires adoption of regulations establishing standards including whether the candidate or treasurer reimbursed the committee from personal funds.

• Requires individuals associated with a candidate's campaign who make unauthorized excess expenditures to repay the Citizens' Election Fund for the excess amount and subjects them to penalties under section 9-7b.