Senate Bill No. 2319 Summary

• Amends definitions in campaign finance law to clarify terms including "contribution," "independent expenditure," "political committee," and "political purpose" with improved language precision.

• Prohibits corporations, cooperative corporations, limited liability companies, and associations from making direct political contributions, but allows establishment of separate segregated funds for political action committees with strict contribution source requirements.

• Requires corporations, cooperatives, limited liability companies, and associations making independent expenditures or contributions outside segregated funds to file statements with the Secretary of State within 48 hours, including organization details, recipient information, and amounts.

• Mandates that independent expenditure advertisements include disclaimers identifying the funding organization, its principal business address, and stating the communication is independently funded without candidate or party consultation.

• Establishes criminal penalties including Class A misdemeanors for officers and directors who violate contribution restrictions, file false reports, or willfully fail to file required reports; and allows audit fines of 5% of violating contributions/expenditures or audit costs, whichever is greater.