§ 1–1163.33. Contribution limitations.

(a) No person, including a business contributor, may make any contribution, and no person may receive any contribution from any contributor, that when aggregated with all other contributions received from that contributor relating to a campaign for nomination as a candidate or election to public office, including both the primary and general election or special elections, exceeds:

(1) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for Mayor or for the recall of the Mayor, $2,000;

(2) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for Attorney General or for the recall of the Attorney General, $1,500;

(3) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for Chairman of the Council or for the recall of the Chairman of the Council, $1,500;

(4) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for member of the Council elected at-large or for the recall of a member of the Council elected at-large, $1,000;

(5) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for member of the State Board of Education elected at-large or for member of the Council elected from a ward or for the recall of a member of the State Board of Education elected at-large or for the recall of a member of the Council elected from a ward, $500;

(6) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for member of the State Board of Education elected from an election ward or for the recall of a member of the State Board of Education elected from an election ward or for an official of a political party, $200; and

(7) In the case of a contribution in support of a candidate for a member of an Advisory Neighborhood Commission, $25.

(b) A business contributor shall certify for each contribution that it makes that no affiliated entities have contributed an amount that when aggregated with the business contributor's contribution would exceed the limits imposed by this chapter.

(c)(1) Repealed.

(2) All contributions to a candidate's principal political committee shall be treated as contributions to the candidate and shall be subject to the contribution limitations contained in this section.

(d) Any entity, whether or not considered distinct under Title 29 of the District of Columbia Official Code, may be an affiliated entity for purposes of this chapter.

(e)(1) No political committee or political action committee may receive in any one election, including primary and general elections, any contribution in the form of cash or money order from any one person that in the aggregate exceeds $100.

(2) No person may make any contribution in the form of cash or money order which in the aggregate exceeds $100 in any one election to any one political committee or political action committee, including primary and general elections.

(f)(1) No person may make contributions to any one political committee or political action committee in any one election that in the aggregate exceed $5,000.

(2) Contributions to a political action committee that are designated for a non-contribution account shall not be subject to the contribution limitations of this subsection.

(f-1) Limitations on contributions under this section shall apply to political action committees during nonelection years.

(g) No contributor may make a contribution or cause a contribution to be made in the name of another person, and no person may knowingly accept a contribution made by one person in the name of another person.

(h) An independent expenditure is not considered a contribution to or an expenditure by or on behalf of the candidate for the purposes of the limitations specified in this section.

(h-1) The contribution limitations in this section shall not apply to independent expenditure committees.

(i) All contributions made by a person directly or indirectly to or for the benefit of a particular candidate or that candidate's political committee that are in any way earmarked, encumbered, or otherwise directed through an intermediary or conduit to that candidate or political committee shall be treated as contributions from that person to that candidate or political committee and shall be subject to the limitations established by this chapter.

(j)(1) No candidate or member of the immediate family of a candidate may make a loan or advance from his or her personal funds for use in connection with a campaign of that candidate for nomination for election, or for election, to a public office unless a written instrument fully discloses the terms, conditions, and parts to the loan or advance. The amount of any loan or advance shall be included in computing and applying the limitations contained in this section only to the extent of the balance of the loan or advance that is unpaid at the time of determination.

(2) For the purposes of this subsection, the term “immediate family” means the candidate's spouse, domestic partner, parent, brother, sister, or child, and the spouse or domestic partner of a candidate's parent, brother, sister, or child.

(k) No contributions made to support or oppose initiative or referendum measures shall be affected by the provisions of this section.

(l) The provisions of subsections (a), (b), (d), (e)(2), (j)(2), and (m) of this section shall not apply to the Fair Elections Program established by § 1-1163.32a.

(m) A candidate may make expenditures to reimburse the candidate for the candidate's childcare expenses incurred for campaign purposes.