This bill mandates the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) to annually adjust the monetary threshold for the pay-to-play prohibition related to contracts with State, county, municipal, school board, and fire district entities. The adjustment, which must occur by December 1 each year, aims to align the threshold with the public bidding threshold established for counties and municipalities, or for school districts, as applicable. Currently, the threshold is set at $17,500, but the bill allows for this amount to be increased to match the public bidding threshold, which is currently $44,000 and adjusted every five years. The bill also stipulates that any entity without a qualified purchasing agent will remain subject to the existing threshold of $17,500.

Additionally, the bill amends several sections of existing law to incorporate the new threshold adjustments. It specifies that contracts exceeding the adjusted threshold cannot be entered into if the business entity has made campaign contributions to any candidate committee of an elected official in the relevant jurisdiction during the preceding year. The amendments also clarify the reporting requirements for business entities regarding political contributions when bidding for contracts. Overall, the bill aims to enhance transparency and reduce potential conflicts of interest in public contracting processes.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 19:44A-20.3, 19:44A-20.4, 19:44A-20.5, 19:44A-20.14, 19:44A-20.15, 19:44A-20.26