Senate Bill 2483

AN ACT TO REQUIRE THAT NOTICE OF FUNDRAISING FUNCTIONS TO BENEFIT MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE DURING REGULAR SESSIONS OF THE LEGISLATURE BE FILED WITH THE ETHICS COMMISSION; TO PROHIBIT A LEGISLATOR FROM BENEFITING FROM A FUNDRAISING FUNCTION UNLESS THE REQUIRED NOTICE HAS BEEN FILED;; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) (a) (i) Except as provided in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph (a), no fundraising function shall be held during a legislative session for or by a legislator unless written notice of the function has been filed with the Ethics Commission not less than thirty (30) days prior to the function. If the deadline for the notice falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or other legal holiday, the notice required by this paragraph (a) shall be extended until the first day after the Saturday, Sunday, or other legal holiday.

(ii) No fundraising function shall be held for or by a legislator during a session of the Legislature called pursuant to Section 121 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 unless written notice of the function has been given to the Ethics Commission not less than two (2) days after the issuance of the proclamation calling the special session. If the deadline for the notice falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or other legal holiday, the notice required by this paragraph (b) shall be extended until the first day after the Saturday, Sunday, or other legal holiday.

(b) A lobbyist, for himself or his principal, shall not offer or provide to a legislator, the legislator's campaign committee or any person on the legislator's behalf any campaign contribution or loan resulting from a fundraising function held during a legislative session unless the lobbyist complies with the provisions of this subsection (1).

(c) No legislator shall solicit or receive any campaign contribution or loan for himself or his campaign committee from a lobbyist or any representative of a lobbyist during a legislative session except as provided in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1).

(2) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (1) of this section, no lobbyist shall make any campaign contribution or loan to the campaign of any member of the Legislature during any regular or special session of the Legislature.

(3) For purposes of this section, the term "lobbyist" shall have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 5-8-3.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2003.