Section 240.15Fh-6 - Political contributions by certain security-based swap dealers(a)Definitions. For the purposes of this section:(1) The term contribution means any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money or anything of value made: (i) For the purpose of influencing any election for federal, state or local office;(ii) For payment of debt incurred in connection with any such election; or(iii) For transition or inaugural expenses incurred by the successful candidate for state or local office.(2) The term covered associate means:(i) Any general partner, managing member or executive officer, or other person with a similar status or function;(ii) Any employee who solicits a municipal entity to enter into a security-based swap with the security-based swap dealer and any person who supervises, directly or indirectly, such employee; and(iii) A political action committee controlled by the security-based swap dealer or by a person described in paragraphs (a)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section.(3) The term executive officer of a security-based swap dealer means:(ii) Any vice president in charge of a principal business unit, division or function (such as sales, administration or finance);(iii) Any other officer of the security-based swap dealer who performs a policy-making function; or(iv) Any other person who performs similar policy-making functions for the security-based swap dealer.(4) The term municipal entity is defined in section 15B(e)(8) of the Act.(5) The term official of a municipal entity means any person (including any election committee for such person) who was, at the time of the contribution, an incumbent, candidate or successful candidate for elective office of a municipal entity, if the office: (i) Is directly or indirectly responsible for, or can influence the outcome of, the selection of a security-based swap dealer by a municipal entity; or(ii) Has authority to appoint any person who is directly or indirectly responsible for, or can influence the outcome of, the selection of a security-based swap dealer by a municipal entity.(6) The term payment means any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money or anything of value.(7) The term regulated person means:(i) A person that is subject to rules of the Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission or a self-regulatory organization subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission prohibiting it from engaging in specified activities if certain political contributions have been made, or its officers or employees;(ii) A general partner, managing member or executive officer of such person, or other individual with a similar status or function; or(iii) An employee of such person who solicits a municipal entity for the security-based swap dealer and any person who supervises, directly or indirectly, such employee.(8) The term solicit means a direct or indirect communication by any person with a municipal entity for the purpose of obtaining or retaining an engagement related to a security-based swap.(b)Prohibitions and exceptions.(1) It shall be unlawful for a security-based swap dealer to offer to enter into, or enter into, a security-based swap, or a trading strategy involving a security-based swap, with a municipal entity within two years after any contribution to an official of such municipal entity was made by the security-based swap dealer, or by any covered associate of the security-based swap dealer.(2) The prohibition in paragraph (b)(1) of this section does not apply: (i) If the only contributions made by the security-based swap dealer to an official of such municipal entity were made by a covered associate, if a natural person:(A) To officials for whom the covered associate was entitled to vote at the time of the contributions, if the contributions in the aggregate do not exceed $350 to any one official per election; or(B) To officials for whom the covered associate was not entitled to vote at the time of the contributions, if the contributions in the aggregate do not exceed $150 to any one official, per election;(ii) To a security-based swap dealer as a result of a contribution made by a natural person more than six months prior to becoming a covered associate of the security-based swap dealer, however, this exclusion shall not apply if the natural person, after becoming a covered associate, solicits the municipal entity on behalf of the security-based swap dealer to offer to enter into, or to enter into, security-based swap, or a trading strategy involving a security-based swap; or(iii) With respect to a security-based swap that is executed on a registered national securities exchange or registered or exempt security-based swap execution facility where the security-based swap dealer does not know the identity of the counterparty to the transaction at a reasonably sufficient time prior to execution of the transaction to permit the security-based swap dealer to comply with the obligations of paragraph (b)(1) of this section.(3) No security-based swap dealer or any covered associate of the security-based swap dealer shall: (i) Provide or agree to provide, directly or indirectly, payment to any person to solicit a municipal entity to offer to enter into, or to enter into, a security-based swap or any trading strategy involving a security-based swap with that security-based swap dealer unless such person is a regulated person; or(ii) Coordinate, or solicit any person or political action committee to make, any:(A) Contribution to an official of a municipal entity with which the security-based swap dealer is offering to enter into, or has entered into, a security-based swap or a trading strategy involving a security-based swap; or(B) Payment to a political party of a state or locality with which the security-based swap dealer is offering to enter into, or has entered into, a security-based swap or a trading strategy involving a security-based swap.(c)Circumvention of rule. No security-based swap dealer shall, directly or indirectly, through or by any other person or means, do any act that would result in a violation of paragraph (a) or (b) of this section.(d)Requests for exemption. The Commission, upon application, may conditionally or unconditionally exempt a security-based swap dealer from the prohibition under paragraph (b)(1) of this section. In determining whether to grant an exemption, the Commission will consider, among other factors: (1) Whether the exemption is necessary or appropriate in the public interest and consistent with the protection of investors and the purposes of the Act;(2) Whether the security-based swap dealer: (i) Before the contribution resulting in the prohibition was made, adopted and implemented policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations of this section;(ii) Prior to or at the time the contribution which resulted in such prohibition was made, had no actual knowledge of the contribution; and(iii) After learning of the contribution:(A) Has taken all available steps to cause the contributor involved in making the contribution which resulted in such prohibition to obtain a return of the contribution; and(B) Has taken such other remedial or preventive measures as may be appropriate under the circumstances;(3) Whether, at the time of the contribution, the contributor was a covered associate or otherwise an employee of the security-based swap dealer, or was seeking such employment;(4) The timing and amount of the contribution which resulted in the prohibition;(5) The nature of the election (e.g., federal, state or local); and(6) The contributor's apparent intent or motive in making the contribution that resulted in the prohibition, as evidenced by the facts and circumstances surrounding the contribution.(e)Prohibitions inapplicable.(1) The prohibitions under paragraph (b) of this section shall not apply to a contribution made by a covered associate of the security-based swap dealer if:(i) The security-based swap dealer discovered the contribution within 120 calendar days of the date of such contribution;(ii) The contribution did not exceed $350; and(iii) The covered associate obtained a return of the contribution within 60 calendar days of the date of discovery of the contribution by the security-based swap dealer.(2) A security-based swap dealer that has more than 50 covered associates may not rely on paragraph (e)(1) of this section more than three times in any 12-month period, while a security-based swap dealer that has 50 or fewer covered associates may not rely on paragraph (e)(1) of this section more than twice in any 12-month period.(3) A security-based swap dealer may not rely on paragraph (e)(1) of this section more than once for any covered associate, regardless of the time between contributions. 81 FR 30144 , May 13, 2016