ENGROSSED SENATE BILL 508 - Summary

• Prohibits candidates for state office and their immediate family members from requesting, receiving, or agreeing to receive things of value exceeding $100 in aggregate per calendar year from lobbyists, lobbyist principals, persons seeking to do business with governmental entities, or persons with economic interests in governmental matters.

• Establishes exceptions to the $100 threshold for things of value arising from employment, doing business with a lobbyist, or close personal relationships of long standing where gift-giving is customary.

• Defines key terms including "candidate," "lobbyist," "lobbyist principal," "things of value," "governmental entity," and "immediate family" according to Rule 1-1-2 of the Ethics Commission Rules.

• Aggregates things of value from lobbyists and lobbyist principals (including their employees, officers, and affiliates) when given at the direction of the principal, regardless of funding source.

• Establishes that violations constitute a misdemeanor and applies to any person who knowingly and willfully violates the act's provisions; effective November 1, 2013.