SECOND REGULAR SESSION
94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE COOPER (120).
Read 1st time February 21, 2008 and copies ordered printed.
D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To repeal sections 130.016, 130.021, 130.032, 130.037, 130.041, and 130.150, RSMo, and section 130.032, as enacted by conference committee substitute for senate substitute for house committee substitute for house bill no. 1900, and to enact in lieu thereof four new sections relating to ethics.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 130.016, 130.021, 130.032, 130.037, 130.041, and 130.150, RSMo, and section 130.032, as enacted by conference committee substitute for senate substitute for house committee substitute for house bill no. 1900, are repealed and four new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 130.016, 130.021, 130.037, and 130.041, to read as follows:
130.016. 1. No candidate for statewide elected office, general assembly, or municipal office in a city with a population of more than one hundred thousand shall be required to comply with the requirements to file a statement of organization or disclosure reports of contributions and expenditures for any election in which neither the aggregate of contributions received nor the aggregate of expenditures made on behalf of such candidate exceeds five hundred dollars [and no single contributor, other than the candidate, has contributed more than the amount of the limitation on contributions to elect an individual to the office of state representative as calculated in subsection 2 of section 130.032], provided that:
(1) The candidate files a sworn exemption statement with the appropriate officer that the candidate does not intend to either receive contributions or make expenditures in the aggregate of more than five hundred dollars [or receive contributions from any single contributor, other than the candidate, that aggregate more than the amount of the limitation on contributions to elect an individual to the office of state representative as calculated in subsection 2 of section 130.032], and that the total of all contributions received or expenditures made by the candidate and all committees or any other person with the candidate's knowledge and consent in support of the candidacy will not exceed five hundred dollars [and that the aggregate of contributions received from any single contributor will not exceed the amount of the limitation on contributions to elect an individual to the office of state representative as calculated in subsection 2 of section 130.032]. Such exemption statement shall be filed no later than the date set forth in section 130.046 on which a disclosure report would otherwise be required if the candidate does not file the exemption statement. The exemption statement shall be filed on a form furnished to each appropriate officer by the executive director of the Missouri ethics commission. Each appropriate officer shall make the exemption statement available to candidates and shall direct each candidate's attention to the exemption statement and explain its purpose to the candidate; and
(2) The sworn exemption statement includes a statement that the candidate understands that records of contributions and expenditures must be maintained from the time the candidate first receives contributions or makes expenditures and that an exemption from filing a statement of organization or disclosure reports does not exempt the candidate from other provisions of this chapter. Each candidate described in this subsection who files a statement of exemption shall file a statement of limited activity for each reporting period described in section 130.046.
2. Any candidate who has filed an exemption statement as provided in subsection 1 of this section shall not accept any contribution or make any expenditure in support of the person's candidacy, either directly or indirectly or by or through any committee or any other person acting with the candidate's knowledge and consent, which would cause such contributions or expenditures to exceed the limits specified in subdivision (1) of subsection 1 of this section unless the candidate later rejects the exemption pursuant to subsection 3 of this section. Any contribution received in excess of such limits shall be returned to the donor or transmitted to the state treasurer to escheat to the state.
3. If, after filing the exemption statement provided for in this section, the candidate subsequently determines the candidate wishes to exceed any of the limits in subdivision (1) of subsection 1 of this section, the candidate shall file a notice of rejection of the exemption with the appropriate officer; however, such rejection shall not be filed later than thirty days before election. A notice of rejection of exemption shall be accompanied by a statement of organization as required by section 130.021 and any other statements and reports which would have been required if the candidate had not filed an exemption statement.
4. A primary election and the immediately succeeding general election are separate elections, and restrictions on contributions and expenditures set forth in subsection 2 of this section shall apply to each election; however, if a successful primary candidate has correctly filed an exemption statement prior to the primary election and has not filed a notice of rejection prior to the date on which the first disclosure report applicable to the succeeding general election is required to be filed, the candidate shall not be required to file an exemption statement for that general election if the limitations set forth in subsection 1 of this section apply to the succeeding general election.
5. A candidate who has an existing candidate committee formed for a prior election for which all statements and reports required by this chapter have been properly filed shall be eligible to file the exemption statement as provided in subsection 1 of this section and shall not be required to file the disclosure reports pertaining to the election for which the candidate is eligible to file the exemption statement if the candidate and the treasurer or deputy treasurer of such existing candidate committee continue to comply with the requirements, limitations and restrictions set forth in subsections 1, 2, 3 and 4 of this section. The exemption permitted by this subsection does not exempt a candidate or the treasurer of the candidate's existing candidate committee from complying with the requirements of subsections 6 and 7 of section 130.046 applicable to a prior election.
6. No candidate for supreme court, circuit court, or associate circuit court, or candidate for political party office, or for county office or municipal office in a city of one hundred thousand or less, or for any special purpose district office shall be required to file an exemption statement pursuant to this section in order to be exempted from forming a committee and filing disclosure reports required of committees pursuant to this chapter if the aggregate of contributions received or expenditures made by the candidate and any other person with the candidate's knowledge and consent in support of the person's candidacy does not exceed one thousand dollars [and the aggregate of contributions from any single contributor does not exceed the amount of the limitation on contributions to elect an individual to the office of state representative as calculated in subsection 2 of section 130.032]. No candidate for any office listed in this subsection shall be excused from complying with the provisions of any section of this chapter, other than the filing of an exemption statement under the conditions specified in this subsection.
7. If any candidate for an office listed in subsection 6 of this section exceeds the limits specified in subsection 6 of this section, the candidate shall form a committee no later than thirty days prior to the election for which the contributions were received or expended which shall comply with all provisions of this chapter for committees.
8. No member of or candidate for the general assembly shall form a candidate committee for the office of speaker of the house of representatives or president pro tem of the senate.
130.021. 1. Every committee shall have a treasurer who, except as provided in subsection 10 of this section, shall be a resident of this state. A committee may also have a deputy treasurer who, except as provided in subsection 10 of this section, shall be a resident of this state, to serve in the capacity of committee treasurer in the event the committee treasurer is unable for any reason to perform the treasurer's duties.
2. Every candidate for offices listed in subsection 1 of section 130.016 who has not filed a statement of exemption pursuant to that subsection and every candidate for offices listed in subsection 6 of section 130.016 who is not excluded from filing a statement of organization and disclosure reports pursuant to subsection 6 shall form a candidate committee and appoint a treasurer. Thereafter, all contributions on hand and all further contributions received by such candidate and any of the candidate's own funds to be used in support of the person's candidacy shall be deposited in a candidate committee depository account established pursuant to the provisions of subsection 4 of this section, and all expenditures shall be made through the candidate, treasurer or deputy treasurer of the person's candidate committee. Nothing in this chapter shall prevent a candidate from appointing himself or herself as a committee of one and serving as the person's own treasurer, maintaining the candidate's own records and filing all the reports and statements required to be filed by the treasurer of a candidate committee.
3. A candidate who has more than one candidate committee supporting the person's candidacy shall designate one of those candidate committees as the committee responsible for consolidating the aggregate contributions to all such committees under the candidate's control and direction as required by section 130.041.
4. (1) Every committee shall have a single official fund depository within this state which shall be a federally or state-chartered bank, a federally or state-chartered savings and loan association, or a federally or state-chartered credit union in which the committee shall open and thereafter maintain at least one official depository account in its own name. An "official depository account" shall be a checking account or some type of negotiable draft or negotiable order of withdrawal account, and the official fund depository shall, regarding an official depository account, be a type of financial institution which provides a record of deposits, canceled checks or other canceled instruments of withdrawal evidencing each transaction by maintaining copies within this state of such instruments and other transactions. All contributions which the committee receives in money, checks and other negotiable instruments shall be deposited in a committee's official depository account. Contributions shall not be accepted and expenditures shall not be made by a committee except by or through an official depository account and the committee treasurer, deputy treasurer or candidate. Contributions received by a committee shall not be commingled with any funds of an agent of the committee, a candidate or any other person, except that contributions from a candidate of the candidate's own funds to the person's candidate committee shall be deposited to an official depository account of the person's candidate committee. No expenditure shall be made by a committee when the office of committee treasurer is vacant except that when the office of a candidate committee treasurer is vacant, the candidate shall be the treasurer until the candidate appoints a new treasurer.
(2) A committee treasurer, deputy treasurer or candidate may withdraw funds from a committee's official depository account and deposit such funds in one or more savings accounts in the committee's name in any bank, savings and loan association or credit union within this state, and may also withdraw funds from an official depository account for investment in the committee's name in any certificate of deposit, bond or security. Proceeds from interest or dividends from a savings account or other investment or proceeds from withdrawals from a savings account or from the sale of an investment shall not be expended or reinvested, except in the case of renewals of certificates of deposit, without first redepositing such proceeds in an official depository account. Investments, other than savings accounts, held outside the committee's official depository account at any time during a reporting period shall be disclosed by description, amount, any identifying numbers and the name and address of any institution or person in which or through which it is held in an attachment to disclosure reports the committee is required to file. Proceeds from an investment such as interest or dividends or proceeds from its sale, shall be reported by date and amount. In the case of the sale of an investment, the names and addresses of the persons involved in the transaction shall also be stated. Funds held in savings accounts and investments, including interest earned, shall be included in the report of money on hand as required by section 130.041.
5. The treasurer or deputy treasurer acting on behalf of any person or organization or group of persons which is a committee by virtue of the definitions of "committee" in section 130.011 and any candidate who is not excluded from forming a committee in accordance with the provisions of section 130.016 shall file a statement of organization with the appropriate officer within twenty days after the person or organization becomes a committee but no later than the date for filing the first report required pursuant to the provisions of section 130.046. The statement of organization shall contain the following information:
(1) The name, mailing address and telephone number, if any, of the committee filing the statement of organization. If the committee is deemed to be affiliated with a connected organization as provided in subdivision (11) of section 130.011, the name of the connected organization, or a legally registered fictitious name which reasonably identifies the connected organization, shall appear in the name of the committee. If the committee is a candidate committee, the name of the candidate shall be a part of the committee's name;
(2) The name, mailing address and telephone number of the candidate;
(3) The name, mailing address and telephone number of the committee treasurer, and the name, mailing address and telephone number of its deputy treasurer if the committee has named a deputy treasurer;
(4) The names, mailing addresses and titles of its officers, if any;
(5) The name and mailing address of any connected organizations with which the committee is affiliated;
(6) The name and mailing address of its depository, and the name and account number of each account the committee has in the depository;
(7) Identification of the major nature of the committee such as a candidate committee, campaign committee, continuing committee, political party committee, incumbent committee, or any other committee according to the definition of "committee" in section 130.011;
(8) In the case of the candidate committee designated in subsection 3 of this section, the full name and address of each other candidate committee which is under the control and direction of the same candidate, together with the name, address and telephone number of the treasurer of each such other committee;
(9) The name and office sought of each candidate supported or opposed by the committee;
(10) The ballot measure concerned, if any, and whether the committee is in favor of or opposed to such measure.
6. A committee may omit the information required in subdivisions (9) and (10) of subsection 5 of this section if, on the date on which it is required to file a statement of organization, the committee has not yet determined the particular candidates or particular ballot measures it will support or oppose. [Any contribution received over the allowable contribution limits described in section 130.032 shall be returned to the contributor by the committee within five business days of the declaration of candidacy or position on a candidate or a particular ballot measure of the committee.]
7. A committee which has filed a statement of organization and has not terminated shall not be required to file another statement of organization, except that when there is a change in any of the information previously reported as required by subdivisions (1) to (8) of subsection 5 of this section an amended statement of organization shall be filed within twenty days after the change occurs, but no later than the date of the filing of the next report required to be filed by that committee by section 130.046.
8. Upon termination of a committee, a termination statement indicating dissolution shall be filed not later than ten days after the date of dissolution with the appropriate officer or officers with whom the committee's statement of organization was filed. The termination statement shall include: the distribution made of any remaining surplus funds and the disposition of any deficits; and the name, mailing address and telephone number of the individual responsible for preserving the committee's records and accounts as required in section 130.036.
9. Any statement required by this section shall be signed and attested by the committee treasurer or deputy treasurer, and by the candidate in the case of a candidate committee.
10. A committee domiciled outside this state shall be required to file a statement of organization and appoint a treasurer residing in this state and open an account in a depository within this state; provided that either of the following conditions prevails:
(1) The aggregate of all contributions received from persons domiciled in this state exceeds twenty percent in total dollar amount of all funds received by the committee in the preceding twelve months; or
(2) The aggregate of all contributions and expenditures made to support or oppose candidates and ballot measures in this state exceeds one thousand five hundred dollars in the current calendar year.
11. If a committee domiciled in this state receives a contribution of one thousand five hundred dollars or more from any committee domiciled outside of this state, the committee domiciled in this state shall file a disclosure report with the commission. The report shall disclose the full name, mailing address, telephone numbers and domicile of the contributing committee and the date and amount of the contribution. The report shall be filed within forty-eight hours of the receipt of such contribution if the contribution is received after the last reporting date before the election.
130.037. Any candidate may file a supplemental report containing information required pursuant to section 130.041, for the purposes of this section. Candidates whose supplemental report filed within thirty days of August 28, 1997, or whose report filed pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection 1 of section 130.046 reflects outstanding obligations in excess of moneys on hand, may convert their campaign committee to a debt service committee as provided in this section. If a debt service committee is formed, the committee may accept contributions from any person [as long as the aggregate contribution from such person does not exceed the limits set, pursuant to section 130.032,] for the aggregating period, pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection 2 of section 130.041, in which the debt was incurred. A person who contributes to a debt service committee of a candidate may also contribute to the candidate's campaign committee for a succeeding election [up to the amounts specified in section 130.032]. The treasurer and the candidate shall terminate the debt service committee pursuant to section 130.021 when the contributions received exceed the amount of the debt, and within thirty days the committee shall file disclosure reports pursuant to section 130.041 and shall return any excess moneys received to the contributor or contributors, if known, otherwise such moneys shall escheat to the state. No debt service committee shall be in existence more than eighteen months.
130.041. 1. Except as provided in subsection 5 of section 130.016, the candidate, if applicable, treasurer or deputy treasurer of every committee which is required to file a statement of organization, shall file a legibly printed or typed disclosure report of receipts and expenditures. The reports shall be filed with the appropriate officer designated in section 130.026 at the times and for the periods prescribed in section 130.046. Except as provided in sections 130.049 and 130.050, each report shall set forth:
(1) The full name, as required in the statement of organization pursuant to subsection 5 of section 130.021, and mailing address of the committee filing the report and the full name, mailing address and telephone number of the committee's treasurer and deputy treasurer if the committee has named a deputy treasurer;
(2) The amount of money, including cash on hand at the beginning of the reporting period;
(3) Receipts for the period, including:
(a) Total amount of all monetary contributions received which can be identified in the committee's records by name and address of each contributor. In addition, the candidate committee shall make a reasonable effort to obtain and report the employer, or occupation if self-employed or notation of retirement, of each person from whom the committee received one or more contributions which in the aggregate total in excess of one hundred dollars and shall make a reasonable effort to obtain and report a description of any contractual relationship over five hundred dollars between the contributor and the state if the candidate is seeking election to a state office or between the contributor and any political subdivision of the state if the candidate is seeking election to another political subdivision of the state;
(b) Total amount of all anonymous contributions accepted;
(c) Total amount of all monetary contributions received through fund-raising events or activities from participants whose names and addresses were not obtained with such contributions, with an attached statement or copy of the statement describing each fund-raising event as required in subsection 6 of section 130.031;
(d) Total dollar value of all in-kind contributions received;
(e) A separate listing by name and address and employer, or occupation if self-employed or notation of retirement, of each person from whom the committee received contributions, in money or any other thing of value, aggregating more than one hundred dollars, together with the date and amount of each such contribution;
(f) A listing of each loan received by name and address of the lender and date and amount of the loan. For each loan of more than one hundred dollars, a separate statement shall be attached setting forth the name and address of the lender and each person liable directly, indirectly or contingently, and the date, amount and terms of the loan;
(4) Expenditures for the period, including:
(a) The total dollar amount of expenditures made by check drawn on the committee's depository;
(b) The total dollar amount of expenditures made in cash;
(c) The total dollar value of all in-kind expenditures made;
(d) The full name and mailing address of each person to whom an expenditure of money or any other thing of value in the amount of more than one hundred dollars has been made, contracted for or incurred, together with the date, amount and purpose of each expenditure. Expenditures of one hundred dollars or less may be grouped and listed by categories of expenditure showing the total dollar amount of expenditures in each category, except that the report shall contain an itemized listing of each payment made to campaign workers by name, address, date, amount and purpose of each payment and the aggregate amount paid to each such worker;
(e) A list of each loan made, by name and mailing address of the person receiving the loan, together with the amount, terms and date;
(5) The total amount of cash on hand as of the closing date of the reporting period covered, including amounts in depository accounts and in petty cash fund;
(6) The total amount of outstanding indebtedness as of the closing date of the reporting period covered;
(7) The amount of expenditures for or against a candidate or ballot measure during the period covered and the cumulative amount of expenditures for or against that candidate or ballot measure, with each candidate being listed by name, mailing address and office sought. For the purpose of disclosure reports, expenditures made in support of more than one candidate or ballot measure or both shall be apportioned reasonably among the candidates or ballot measure or both. In apportioning expenditures to each candidate or ballot measure, political party committees and continuing committees need not include expenditures for maintaining a permanent office, such as expenditures for salaries of regular staff, office facilities and equipment or other expenditures not designed to support or oppose any particular candidates or ballot measures; however, all such expenditures shall be listed pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection;
(8) A separate listing by full name and address of any committee including a candidate committee controlled by the same candidate for which a transfer of funds or a contribution in any amount has been made during the reporting period, together with the date and amount of each such transfer or contribution;
(9) A separate listing by full name and address of any committee, including a candidate committee controlled by the same candidate from which a transfer of funds or a contribution in any amount has been received during the reporting period, together with the date and amount of each such transfer or contribution;
(10) Each committee that receives a contribution which is restricted or designated in whole or in part by the contributor for transfer to a particular candidate, committee or other person shall include a statement of the name and address of that contributor in the next disclosure report required to be filed after receipt of such contribution, together with the date and amount of any such contribution which was so restricted or designated by that contributor, together with the name of the particular candidate or committee to whom such contribution was so designated or restricted by that contributor and the date and amount of such contribution.
2. For the purpose of this section and any other section in this chapter except sections 130.049 and 130.050 which requires a listing of each contributor who has contributed a specified amount, the aggregate amount shall be computed by adding all contributions received from any one person during the following periods:
(1) In the case of a candidate committee, the period shall begin on the date on which the candidate became a candidate according to the definition of the term "candidate" in section 130.011 and end at 11:59 p.m. on the day of the primary election, if the candidate has such an election or at 11:59 p.m. on the day of the general election. If the candidate has a general election held after a primary election, the next aggregating period shall begin at 12:00 midnight on the day after the primary election day and shall close at 11:59 p.m. on the day of the general election. Except that for contributions received during the thirty-day period immediately following a primary election, the candidate shall designate whether such contribution is received as a primary election contribution or a general election contribution;
(2) In the case of a campaign committee, the period shall begin on the date the committee received its first contribution and end on the closing date for the period for which the report or statement is required;
(3) In the case of a political party committee or a continuing committee, the period shall begin on the first day of January of the year in which the report or statement is being filed and end on the closing date for the period for which the report or statement is required; except, if the report or statement is required to be filed prior to the first day of July in any given year, the period shall begin on the first day of July of the preceding year.
3. The disclosure report shall be signed and attested by the committee treasurer or deputy treasurer and by the candidate in case of a candidate committee.
[4. The words "consulting or consulting services, fees, or expenses", or similar words, shall not be used to describe the purpose of a payment as required in this section. The reporting of any payment to such an independent contractor shall be on a form supplied by the appropriate officer, established by the ethics commission and shall include identification of the specific service or services provided including, but not limited to, public opinion polling, research on issues or opposition background, print or broadcast media production, print or broadcast media purchase, computer programming or data entry, direct mail production, postage, rent, utilities, phone solicitation, or fund raising, and the dollar amount prorated for each service.]
[130.032. 1. Monetary contributions shall not be made from any political party committee as defined in subdivision (25) of section 130.011 to any candidate committee, continuing committee, or political party committee. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit any candidate committee from making contributions to any other committee.
2. Any candidate for the office of state representative, the office of state senator, or a statewide elected office shall not accept any contributions from the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January through the first Friday after the second Monday of May of each year at 6:00 p.m. Only candidates for special election to the house of representatives, senate, or statewide elected office may, during such time, accept contributions from the date of the candidate's nomination by his or her respective political party until thirty days after the date of the election.]
[130.032. 1. In addition to the limitations imposed pursuant to section 130.031, the amount of contributions made by or accepted from any person other than the candidate in any one election shall not exceed the following:
(1) To elect an individual to the office of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor or attorney general, one thousand dollars;
(2) To elect an individual to the office of state senator, five hundred dollars;
(3) To elect an individual to the office of state representative, two hundred fifty dollars;
(4) To elect an individual to any other office, including judicial office, if the population of the electoral district, ward, or other unit according to the latest decennial census is under one hundred thousand, two hundred fifty dollars;
(5) To elect an individual to any other office, including judicial office, if the population of the electoral district, ward, or other unit according to the latest decennial census is at least one hundred thousand but less than two hundred fifty thousand, five hundred dollars; and
(6) To elect an individual to any other office, including judicial office, if the population of the electoral district, ward, or other unit according to the latest decennial census is at least two hundred fifty thousand, one thousand dollars.
2. For purposes of this subsection "base year amount" shall be the contribution limits prescribed in this section on January 1, 1995. Such limits shall be increased on the first day of January in each even-numbered year by multiplying the base year amount by the cumulative consumer price index, as defined in section 104.010, RSMo, and rounded to the nearest twenty-five-dollar amount, for all years since January 1, 1995.
3. Candidate committees, exploratory committees, campaign committees and continuing committees, other than those continuing committees which are political party committees, shall be subject to the limits prescribed in subsection 1 of this section. The provisions of this subsection shall not limit the amount of contributions which may be accumulated by a candidate committee and used for expenditures to further the nomination or election of the candidate who controls such candidate committee, except as provided in section 130.052.
4. Except as limited by this subsection, the amount of cash contributions, and a separate amount for the amount of in-kind contributions, made by or accepted from a political party committee in any one election shall not exceed the following:
(1) To elect an individual to the office of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor or attorney general, ten thousand dollars;
(2) To elect an individual to the office of state senator, five thousand dollars;
(3) To elect an individual to the office of state representative, two thousand five hundred dollars; and
(4) To elect an individual to any other office of an electoral district, ward or unit, ten times the allowable contribution limit for the office sought.
The amount of contributions which may be made by or accepted from a political party committee in the primary election to elect any candidate who is unopposed in such primary shall be fifty percent of the amount of the allowable contributions as determined in this subsection.
5. Contributions from persons under fourteen years of age shall be considered made by the parents or guardians of such person and shall be attributed toward any contribution limits prescribed in this chapter. Where the contributor under fourteen years of age has two custodial parents or guardians, fifty percent of the contribution shall be attributed to each parent or guardian, and where such contributor has one custodial parent or guardian, all such contributions shall be attributed to the custodial parent or guardian.
6. Contributions received and expenditures made prior to January 1, 1995, shall be reported as a separate account and pursuant to the laws in effect at the time such contributions are received or expenditures made. Contributions received and expenditures made after January 1, 1995, shall be reported as a separate account from the aforementioned account and pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. The account reported pursuant to the prior law shall be retained as a separate account and any remaining funds in such account may be used pursuant to this chapter and section 130.034.
7. Any committee which accepts or gives contributions other than those allowed shall be subject to a surcharge of one thousand dollars plus an amount equal to the contribution per nonallowable contribution, to be paid to the ethics commission and which shall be transferred to the director of revenue, upon notification of such nonallowable contribution by the ethics commission, and after the candidate has had ten business days after receipt of notice to return the contribution to the contributor. The candidate and the candidate committee treasurer or deputy treasurer owing a surcharge shall be personally liable for the payment of the surcharge or may pay such surcharge only from campaign funds existing on the date of the receipt of notice. Such surcharge shall constitute a debt to the state enforceable under, but not limited to, the provisions of chapter 143, RSMo.]
[130.150. Complaints Concerning Violations
(1) Any person may file a complaint alleging violations of the contribution limits set forth above with the Missouri Ethics Commission which complaint shall be acted upon promptly by the commission in the same manner and with the same effect as other complaints over which the commission has jurisdiction.
(2) Instead of filing a complaint with the Missouri Ethics Commission, any person may file a civil action in summary process in the circuit court for the circuit in which the alleged violation occurred, against the alleged violator or violators, seeking a forfeiture to the General Revenue of the State of any amount of contributions in excess of the limits set forth above.]
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