{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-336.180","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 336.180","heading":"Definitions for chapter.","body":"As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise:\n(1) \"Candidate\" means any person who has received contributions or made\nexpenditures, has appointed a campaign treasurer, or has given his or her consent\nfor any other person to receive contri butions or make expenditures with a view to\nbringing about his or her nomination or election to public office, except federal\noffice;\n(2) \"Committee\" includes the following:\n(a) \"Campaign committee,\" which means one (1) or more persons who receive\ncontributions and make expenditures to support or oppose one (1) or more\nspecific candidates or slates of candidates for nomination or election to any\nstate, county, city, or district office, but does not include an entity established\nsolely by a candidate which i s managed solely by a candidate and a campaign\ntreasurer and whose name is generic in nature, such as \"Friends of (the\ncandidate),\" and does not reflect that other persons have structured themselves\nas a committee, designated officers of the committee, and  assigned\nresponsibilities and duties to each officer with the purpose of managing a\ncampaign to support or oppose a candidate in an election;\n(b) \"Caucus campaign committee,\" which means members of any caucus groups\nwho receive contributions and make expenditures to support or oppose one (1)\nor more specific candidates or slates of candidates for nomination or election\nto any state, county, city, or district office, or a committee in Kentucky or in\nany other state. Caucus campaign committees include but are not limited to:\n1. The House Democratic caucus campaign committee;\n2. The House Republican caucus campaign committee;\n3. The Senate Democratic caucus campaign committee;\n4. The Senate Republican caucus campaign committee; and\n5. Subdivisions of the state executive committee of a minor political party,\nwhich serve the same function as the above -named committees, as\ndetermined by administrative regulations promulgated by the Ke ntucky\nRegistry of Election Finance;\n(c) \"Political issues committee,\" which means three (3) or more persons joining\ntogether to advocate or oppose a constitutional amendment or ballot measure\nif that committee receives or expends money in excess of one thousand dollars\n($1,000);\n(d) \"Permanent committee,\" which means a group of individuals, including an\nassociation, committee, or organization, other than a campaign committee,\npolitical issues committee, inaugural committee, caucus campaign committee,\nor a party executive committee, which is established as, or intended to be, a\npermanent organization having as a primary purpose expressly advocating the\nelection or defeat of one (1) or more clearly identified candidates, slates of\ncandidates, or political par ties, which functions on a regular basis throughout\nthe year;\n(e) An executive committee of a political party; and\n(f) \"Inaugural committee,\" which means one (1) or more persons who receive\ncontributions and make expenditures in support of inauguration act ivities for\nany candidate or slate of candidates elected to any state, county, city, or\ndistrict office;\n(3) \"Contributing organization\" means a group which merely contributes to candidates,\nslates of candidates, campaign committees, caucus campaign commit tees, or\nexecutive committees from time to time from funds derived solely from within the\ngroup, and which does not solicit or receive funds from sources outside the group\nitself;\n(4) \"Contribution\" means any:\n(a) Payment, distribution, loan, deposit, or g ift of money or other thing of value,\nto a candidate, his or her agent, a slate of candidates, its authorized agent, a\ncommittee, or contributing organization but shall not include a loan of money\nby any financial institution doing business in Kentucky mad e in accordance\nwith applicable banking laws and regulations and in the ordinary course of\nbusiness. As used in this subsection, \"loan\" shall include a guarantee,\nendorsement, or other form of security where the risk of nonpayment rests\nwith the surety, gu arantor, or endorser, as well as with a committee,\ncontributing organization, candidate, slate of candidates, or other primary\nobligor. No person shall become liable as surety, endorser, or guarantor for\nany sum in any one (1) election which, when combined  with all other\ncontributions the individual makes to a candidate, his or her agent, a slate of\ncandidates, its agent, a committee, or a contributing organization, exceeds the\ncontribution limits provided in KRS 121.150;\n(b) Payment by any person other tha n the candidate, his or her authorized\ntreasurer, a slate of candidates, its authorized treasurer, a committee, or a\ncontributing organization, of compensation for the personal services of\nanother person which are rendered to a candidate, slate of candidat es,\ncommittee, or contributing organization, or for inauguration activities;\n(c) Goods, advertising, or services with a value of more than one hundred dollars\n($100) in the aggregate in any one (1) election which are furnished to a\ncandidate, slate of cand idates, committee, or contributing organization or for\ninauguration activities without charge, or at a rate which is less than the rate\nnormally charged for the goods or services; or\n(d) Payment by any person other than a candidate, his or her authorized t reasurer,\na slate of candidates, its authorized treasurer, a committee, or contributing\norganization for any goods or services with a value of more than one hundred\ndollars ($100) in the aggregate in any one (1) election which are utilized by a\ncandidate, slate of candidates, committee, or contributing organization, or for\ninauguration activities;\n(5) \"Election\" means any primary, regular, or special election. Each primary, regular,\nor special election shall be considered a separate election;\n(6) \"Electioneering communications\" means:\n(a) Any communication broadcast by television or radio, printed in a newspaper\nor on a billboard, directly mailed or delivered by hand to personal residences,\nor in telephone calls made to personal residences, or otherwise dist ributed\nthat:\n1. Unambiguously refers to any candidate for any state, county, city, or\ndistrict office, or to any ballot measure;\n2. Is broadcast, printed, mailed, delivered, made, or distributed within\nthirty (30) days before a primary election or sixty ( 60) days before a\ngeneral election; and\n3. Is broadcast to, printed in a newspaper, distributed to, mailed to or\ndelivered by hand to, in telephone calls made to, or otherwise distributed\nto an audience that includes members of the electorate for such publ ic\noffice or the electorate associated with the ballot containing the ballot\nmeasure.\n(b) \"Electioneering communications\" does not include:\n1. Any news articles, editorial endorsements, opinions or commentary,\nwritings, or letters to the editor printed in a newspaper, magazine, or\nother periodical not owned by or controlled by a candidate, committee,\nor political party;\n2. Any editorial endorsements or opinions aired by a broadcast facility not\nowned or controlled by a candidate, committee, or political party;\n3. Any communication by persons made in the regular course and scope of\ntheir business or any communication made by a membership\norganization solely to members of such an organization and their\nfamilies;\n4. Any communication that refers to any candidat e only as part of the\npopular name of a bill or statute; or\n5. A communication that constitutes a contribution or independent\nexpenditure as defined in this section;\n(7) \"Employer\" means all persons, firms, associations, corporations, public employers,\npublic school employers, and public colleges, universities, institutions, and\neducation agencies;\n(8) \"Fundraiser\" means an individual who directly solicits and secures contributions on\nbehalf of a candidate or slate of candidates for a statewide-elected state office, or an\noffice in a jurisdiction with a population in excess of two hundred thousand\n(200,000) residents;\n(9) \"Independent expenditure\" means the expenditure of money or other things of value\nfor a communication which expressly advocates the electi on or defeat of a clearly\nidentified candidate or slate of candidates, and which is made without any\ncoordination, consultation, or cooperation with any candidate, slate of candidates,\ncampaign committee, or any authorized person acting on behalf of any of  them, and\nwhich is not made in concert with, or at the request or suggestion of any candidate,\nslate of candidates, campaign committee, or any authorized person acting on behalf\nof any of them;\n(10) \"Labor organization\" means any organization of any kind, or any agency or\nemployee representation committee, association or union which exists for the\npurpose, in whole or in part, of dealing with employers concerning wages, rates of\npay, hours of employme nt or conditions of work, or other forms of compensation.\nExcept, for the purposes of this section or KRS 161.158, 164.365, 336.133,\n336.134, 336.1341, 336.135, or 336.990, \"labor organization\" shall not include\norganizations which primarily represent public employees working in the protective\nvocations of active law enforcement officer, jail and corrections officer, or active\nfire suppression or prevention personnel;\n(11) \"Political activities\" means any contribution or independent expenditure made:\n(a) To any committee;\n(b) To any contributing organization;\n(c) To any candidate;\n(d) To any slate of candidates;\n(e) To any fundraiser;\n(f) For any electioneering communications;\n(g) For any testimonial affair;\n(h) In any manner intended to influence the outcome of any election;\n(i) In any manner intended to otherwise promote or support the defeat of any:\n1. Candidate;\n2. Slate of candidates; or\n3. Ballot measure; or\n(j) In any manner intended to advance any position held by any person or entity\nother than the public employee regarding any:\n1. Election;\n2. Candidate;\n3. Slate of candidates; or\n4. Ballot measure;\n(12) \"Public employee\" means an employee of a \"public agency\" as that term is defined\nin KRS 61.870;\n(13) \"Slate of candidates\" means:\n(a) Between the ti me a certificate or petition of nomination has been filed for a\ncandidate for the office of Governor under KRS 118.365 and the time the\ncandidate designates a running mate for the office of Lieutenant Governor\nunder KRS 118.126, a slate of candidates consi sts of the candidate for the\noffice of Governor; and\n(b) After that candidate has designated a running mate under KRS 118.126, that\nsame slate of candidates consists of that same candidate for the office of\nGovernor and the candidate's running mate for the  office of Lieutenant\nGovernor. Unless the context requires otherwise, any provision of law that\napplies to a candidate shall also apply to a slate of candidates; and\n(14) \"Testimonial affair\" means an affair held in honor of a person who holds or who is\nor was a candidate for nomination or election to a state, city, county, or district\npolitical office designed to raise funds for the purpose of influencing the outcome\nof an election, otherwise promoting support for, or the defeat of, any candidate,\nslate of candidates, or ballot measure.","path":["KRS Chapter 336"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53554","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:58:25Z","sha256":"101076212ac131c69ebb209b3a3cbea603344bb13b7da4ee77588467fff8326e","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-336.170","next":"us-ky/krs-336.190"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}