Sponsored by:
Senator CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.
District 9 (Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits legislative aide who works, or worked, directly for legislator in district office from making political contribution greater than $30 per election to that legislator; prohibits receipt of such contribution.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act prohibiting certain campaign contributions and supplementing P.L.1973, c.83 (C.19:44A-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. (1) An individual who is employed, either full-time or part-time, by a member of the Legislature to work in the legislative district office of that legislator as an aide, personal assistant, manager, advisor or secretary, or is otherwise compensated directly by that legislator for activities or services regarding legislative duties, shall not make a contribution of money or other thing of value greater than $30 per election to the legislators candidate committee or joint candidates committee. No legislator or individual associated with the legislators candidate committee or joint candidates committee shall solicit or knowingly accept such a contribution.
(2) An individual who was employed, either full-time or part-time, by a member of the Legislature and worked in the legislative district office of that legislator as an aide, personal assistant, manager, advisor or secretary, or was otherwise compensated directly by that legislator for activities or services regarding legislative duties, shall not make a contribution of money or other thing of value greater than $30 per election to the legislators candidate committee or joint candidates committee during the two-year period following his or her termination of employment or service. No legislator or individual associated with the legislators candidate committee or joint candidates committee shall solicit or knowingly accept such a contribution.
b. Any individual found to be in violation of subsection a. of this section is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits a legislative aide who works, or worked, directly for a member of the Legislature in a district office from making a political contribution or giving other things of value greater than $30 to that legislator. It also prohibits the legislator or an individual associated with the legislators candidate committee or joint candidates committee from soliciting or knowingly accepting such contribution.
Specifically, the bill provides that an individual who is employed, either full-time or part-time, by a member of the Legislature to work in the legislative district office of that legislator as an aide, personal assistant, manager, advisor or secretary, or is otherwise compensated directly by that legislator for activities or services regarding legislative duties, can not make a contribution of money or other thing of value greater than $30 to the legislators candidate committee or joint candidates committee.
The bill establishes the same restriction on any individual who was employed by a member of the Legislature during the two-year period following his or her termination of employment or services.
The bill provides that any individual found to be in violation of these restrictions is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree, which is punishable by up to 18 months imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000.