KRS 121.170: Registration of committees and fundraisers -- Information required --

Permanent committee by member of General Assembly prohibited -- Official

contact person.

(1) Any committee, except a federally registered political committee as defined in 52

U.S.C. sec. 30101(4)(a), organized under any provisions of this chapter shall

register with the registry, by filing official notice of intention at the time of

organization, giving names, addresses, and positions of the officers of the

organization, identifying an official contact person of the committee, and

designating the candidate or candidates, slate of candidates, or question it is

organized to support or oppose on forms prescribed by the registry; except that no

campaign committee for a slate of candidates for Governor and Lieutenant

Governor shall be registered prior to the filing of a certificate or petition of

nomination for the candidate for Governor under KRS 118.365. No entity which is

excluded from the definition of "campaign committee" established in KRS

121.015(3)(a) shall be required to register as a committee with the registry. The

name of the committee shall reasonably identify to the public the sponsorship and

purpose of the committee. The forms filed with the registry shall require the

registrant to clearly identify the specific purpose, sponsorship, and source from

which the committee originates; and the registry shall refuse to allow filing by any

committee until this requirement has been satisfied.

(2) Any person who acts as a fu ndraiser by directly soliciting contributions for an

election campaign of a candidate or slate of candidates for statewide -elected state

office or an office in a jurisdiction containing in excess of two hundred thousand

(200,000) residents shall register with the registry when he or she raises in excess of

three thousand dollars ($3,000) in any one (1) election for the campaign committee

by filing official notice giving his or her name, address, occupation, employer or, if

he or she is self -employed, the name under which he or she is doing business, and

all candidates or slates of candidates for whom he or she is soliciting on forms

prescribed by the registry. A registered fundraiser shall comply with the campaign

finance reporting requirements of KRS 121.180(3), (4), and (5).

(3) All provisions of KRS 121.160 governing the duties and responsibilities of a

candidate, slate of candidates, or campaign treasurer shall apply to a registered

committee and a person acting as a campaign fundraiser, except if the cha irperson

of the committee is a registered voter in Kentucky, the treasurer may be a registered

voter from any state. The provisions of KRS 121.160 shall not apply to a federally

registered political committee as defined in 52 U.S.C. sec. 30101(4)(a). In ca se of

the death, resignation, or removal of a campaign treasurer for a permanent

committee or executive committee, the chairperson of the permanent committee or

executive committee shall, within three (3) days after receiving notice of the

vacancy by certi fied mail, appoint a successor as treasurer for the committee and

file the name and address of the successor with the registry. The chairperson of the

permanent committee or executive committee shall be accountable as the treasurer

for the committee if the chairperson fails to meet this filing requirement.

(4) The chairperson of a committee and the campaign treasurer shall be separate

persons.

(5) Any federally registered political committee as defined in 52 U.S.C. sec.

30101(4)(a) that contributes to a Kentucky candidate or a slate of candidates shall:

(a) File with the registry a copy of its federal registration (Federal Election

Commission Form 1 - Committee Registration Form);

(b) File with the registry a copy of the Federal Election Commission finance

report when a contribution is made to, or an independent expenditure is made

in support or opposition of, a Kentucky candidate or a slate of candidates; and

(c) Contribute not more than the maximum amount permitted for a permanent

committee to make under Ke ntucky law to any candidate or to any slate of

candidates for any office in this Commonwealth.

(6) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a contribution made by a

federally registered political committee as defined in 52 U.S.C. sec. 30101(4) (a) to

any candidate or to any slate of candidates for any office in this Commonwealth

that complies with the provisions of 52 U.S.C. sec. 30118, 11 C.F.R. sec. 104.10,

11 C.F.R. sec. 106.6, and 11 C.F.R. sec. 114.1 -114.12 regarding limitations on

contributions by corporations shall be deemed to comply with the campaign finance

laws of this Commonwealth prohibiting corporate contributions to candidates or

slates of candidates.

(7) The organization, formation, or registration of a permanent committee by any

member of the General Assembly shall be prohibited.

(8) The officia l contact person of a permanent committee shall not be a legislative

agent as defined in KRS 6.611 or an executive agency lobbyist as defined in KRS

11A.201.