ECIElection Campaign-Finance Index

K.S.A. 25-4153 explicitly codifies contribution limits in statute by enumeration of specific dollar amounts across different office types, elections, and contributor categories. The limits are not delegated to administrative agencies but are set directly in the statutory text, satisfying the requirement that the framework be defined by law rather than discretion.

“(a) The aggregate amount contributed to a candidate and such candidate's candidate committee and to all party committees and political committees and dedicated to such candidate's campaign, by any political committee or any person except a party committee, the candidate or the candidate's spouse, shall not exceed the following: (1) For the pair of offices of governor and lieutenant governor or for other state officers elected from the state as a whole, $4,000 for each primary election, or in lieu thereof, a caucus or convention of a political party, and an equal amount for each general election.”

The statute codifies a clear definition of independent expenditures (third-party spending separate from candidate and party committees), establishes a $1,000 threshold for disclosure, enumates required filing contents (payee identity, amounts, dates, purposes, candidate identification), specifies filing deadlines, and designates the filing location based on office level. The procedural framework is comprehensively statutorily grounded.

“Every person, other than a candidate or a candidate committee, party committee or political committee, who makes independent expenditures in an aggregate amount of $1,000 or more within a calendar year shall file a statement of independent expenditures with the commission that includes the following: (1) The name and address of each person who receives payment in an aggregate amount that is in excess of $500 for an independent expenditure or for the creation or distribution of an independent expenditure; and (2) the date, amount and purpose of each independent expenditure, including the name and the office sought of each candidate identified in an independent expenditure and if such independent expenditure was in support of or in opposition to such candidate.”

The statute clearly establishes a threshold ($50) for when donor identification must be provided and limits the aggregate of unidentified contributions to 50% of the contribution maximum. However, the statute does not specify a disposition for anonymous contributions that fall below or within these parameters—it does not state whether they must be accepted, returned, forfeited, or deposited in a specific fund. The procedural rule exists but the defined endpoint for such contributions is missing.

“No person shall give or accept any contribution in excess of $50 unless the name and address of the contributor is made known to the individual receiving the contribution. (c) The aggregate of contributions for which the name and address of the contributor is not reported under K.S.A. 25-4148 , and amendments thereto, shall not exceed 50% of the amount one individual, other than the candidate or spouse, may contribute to or for a candidate's campaign.”

K.S.A. 25-4148(b)(2) explicitly defines the disclosure threshold in statute as $50 for contributions. The requirement is enumerated with specificity regarding what must be reported (name, address, amount, date) and applies to aggregate contributions exceeding that amount. No regulatory discretion is invoked to set the threshold.

“the name and address of each person who has made one or more contributions in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $50 during the election period together with the amount and date of such contributions”

No matching sections in corpus.

K.S.A. 25-4154(b) mandates disclosure of contributor name and address for contributions over $50, satisfying the name component of the criterion. However, the section does not require disclosure of occupation or employer, which are the additional identity elements specified in DISC.3. The statute establishes the basic procedural requirement but omits two key fields.

“No person shall give or accept any contribution in excess of $50 unless the name and address of the contributor is made known to the individual receiving the contribution.”

The statute requires that campaign-finance reports be made available for public inspection and copying by the secretary of state and county election officers during regular office hours. However, the section does not require online accessibility, does not specify a defined time deadline for making filings publicly available, and does not mandate digital or remote access. The statute provides only in-person inspection rights at offices during business hours, which falls short of the modern procedural clarity expected for DISC.4.

“make such reports and statements available for public inspection and copying during regular office hours”

The statute defines a criminal penalty (class A misdemeanor) for failure to file required campaign finance reports. Kansas law establishes defined criminal grades for misdemeanors, making this a statutorily codified penalty schedule. The section satisfies both the criminal-grade requirement and the procedural clarity of specifying consequences for non-compliance.

“Failure to file a campaign finance report is a class A misdemeanor.”

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: § K.S.A. 25-4144 establishes procedural requirements for appointment and reporting of campaign treasurers and candidate committees, but contains no provisions addressing enforcement-body independence, appointment methodology, or protection from political control. The section governs candidate filings and treasurer eligibility, not the structure or safeguards of the entity that enforces campaign-finance rules.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: This section provides a private right of action, but only for malicious prosecution by a respondent against a complainant—not for campaign-finance violations themselves. ENF.3 asks whether the statute provides a private right of action for *campaign-finance violations*. This section addresses a procedural remedy against frivolous complaints, not enforcement of substantive campaign-finance rules by private parties.

K.S.A. 25-4180(d)(1) explicitly prohibits acceptance of foreign-national contributions in statutory language. The statute defines 'foreign national' with specificity in subsection (e), establishes enforcement through the attorney general in (d)(2), and provides civil remedies including injunctive relief and statutory damages in (d)(3), satisfying both the statutory prohibition and enforcement elements.

“No person shall accept, directly or indirectly, any contribution or expenditure from a foreign national made for any activity promoting or opposing the adoption or repeal of any provision of the constitution of the state of Kansas.”

The statute comprehensively addresses indirect foreign-source channels by defining foreign nationals to include U.S. entities that are wholly or majority-owned by foreign nationals, and then imposing conditions (U.S.-derived funds and U.S.-citizen decision-makers) to permit such entities to contribute. This tracing requirement is statutorily enumerated and covers pass-through structures, exceeding a minimal standard.

“any United States entity, such as a partnership, association, corporation or organization, that is wholly or majority-owned by any foreign national, unless: (1) Any contribution or expenditure that such entity makes is derived entirely from funds generated by such United States entity's United States operations; and (2) all decisions concerning the contribution or expenditure are made by individuals who are United States citizens or permanent residents, except for setting overall budget amounts.”

The statute requires donors to certify their foreign-national status and the origin of their funds, creating an attestation-based system. However, the statute does not mandate affirmative verification steps (e.g., document review, cross-checking, or due diligence procedures) beyond requiring the donor certification itself; it relies on certification without specifying verification methodology or audit procedures to confirm the accuracy of certifications.

“Each person who accepts contributions or expenditures as described in subsection (a) shall require each donor to certify that such donor is not a foreign national and has not knowingly accepted contributions or expenditures either directly or indirectly from any foreign national that in the aggregate exceed $100,000 within the four-year period immediately preceding the date of such donor's contribution or expenditure.”

The statute explicitly requires campaign committees to maintain and preserve records supporting all reports or statements for a period designated by the commission. This satisfies the statutory mandate for record retention, though the specific duration is delegated to commission designation rather than enumerated in statute itself.

“Records in support of every report or statement filed under the campaign finance act shall be maintained and preserved by the person who files it for a period of time to be designated by the commission.”

No matching sections in corpus.