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Colorado Administrative Code
Department 1505 - Department of StateDivision 1505 - Secretary of State
Rule 8 CCR 1505-6 - RULES CONCERNING CAMPAIGN AND POLITICAL FINANCE
Rule 8 CCR 1505-6-10 - Managing Contributions and Expenditures

8 Colo. Code Regs. § 1505-6-10

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Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 22, November 25, 2024
Rule 8 CCR 1505-6-10 - Managing Contributions and Expenditures
10.1 Unexpended campaign contributions
10.1.1 For purposes of section 1-45-106(1), C.R.S., contributions to a candidate committee become unexpended campaign contributions at the earliest of the following:
(a) The end of the election cycle; or
(b) When the candidate withdraws from the political race and intends to terminate his or her candidate committee.
10.1.2 For purposes of section 1-45-106(3), C.R.S., contributions to an issue committee become unexpended contributions at the end of the election cycle in which the committee supported or opposed a ballot measure, or one that attempted access to the ballot. Funds do not become unexpended contributions if the issue committee supports or opposes, or intends to support or oppose, another ballot measure or measures.
10.1.3 Unexpended contributions may not be used for personal purposes except to reimburse a candidate or incumbent for reasonable and necessary expenses for the care of a child or a dependent as allowed under sections 1-45-103.7 (6.5) and 1-45-106(1)(b)(VI), C.R.S.
10.2 Except for independent expenditure committees and small-scale issue committees, committees must report contributions as follows:
10.2.1 Committees must individually list all contributions of $20 or more received during a reporting period, including names and addresses of the contributors. If a contributor gives $20 or more in the aggregate during the reporting period, the committee must individually list the contributor on the report, regardless of the amount of each contribution. [Section 1-45-108(1), C.R.S.]
10.2.2 A committee may report all other receipts and contributions less than $20 in total as non-itemized contributions for the reporting period, except for contributions from an LLC. A committee must itemize all contributions from an LLC, regardless of amount. [Section 1-45-103.7(5)(d), C.R.S.]
10.2.3 Disclosure of occupation and employer
(a) The requirement to disclose a contributor's or donor's occupation and employer applies only to any one-time contribution or donation, and not to the person's aggregate contributions or donations.
(b) Except for a committee exercising its right to cure under section 1-45-111.7(4), C.R.S., if a committee does not report required occupation and employer information, and the committee is unable to gather the information within 30 days after receipt of the contribution, the committee must return the contribution to the contributor no later than the 31st day after receipt.
(c) The requirement under section 1-45-108, C.R.S., to disclose a contributor's or donor's occupation and employer applies only to a contributor who is a natural person.
10.3 Except for independent expenditure committees and small-scale issue committees, committees must report expenditures as follows:
10.3.1 A committee must list all expenditures of $20 or more during a reporting period, including the name and address of payees. The committee may report any disbursement not defined as an expenditure to the appropriate officer.
10.3.2 A committee must list individual expenditures in amounts less than $20 that aggregate to total $20 or more to the same payee during the reporting period.
10.3.3 A committee may report all other expenditures less than $20 during a reporting period in total as non-itemized expenditures.

[Section 1-45-108(1), C.R.S.]

10.4 Date of a contribution or donation.
10.4.1 A contribution or donation by check or money order is accepted, at the earliest on the date that it is received or at the latest, on the date that the contribution or donation is deposited into the committee account. If a committee receives a donation by check or money order at least five business days before the end of a reporting period, the committee must deposit the check or money order or return to the contributor before that reporting period closes.
10.4.2 A cash contribution or donation is accepted the date the cash is in the committee's possession.
10.4.3 A contribution or donation made by credit card, PayPal, or other payment intermediary service is accepted on the date the contributor or donor authorizes the payment, or if unknown, on the date the payment intermediary service electronically transfers the contribution or donation.
10.4.4 A non-monetary or in-kind contribution or donation is accepted on the date the committee takes possession of the item, or has the right to possess or use the item.
10.4.5 For purposes of section 1-45-105.5, C.R.S., concerning contributions by lobbyists to certain state officers and candidates when legislation is under consideration, a contribution is accepted when the pledge is made or possession of the check is transferred to any person not under the control of the issuer, whichever is sooner.
10.4.6 If a committee accepts a contribution or donation from a joint account and the contributor or donor is not specified, the committee may apportion the entire amount to the joint account who signed the check or determine how to apportion the contribution or donation between joint account holders. If the committee apportions a contribution or donation between joint account holders, the committee must notify each joint account holder of the apportionment.
10.4.7 Any other contribution or donation is accepted on the date its received.
10.5 A committee must maintain all financial records for 180 days after any general election cycle in which the committee received contributions. If a complaint is filed against the committee, the committee must maintain financial records until final disposition of the complaint and any consequent litigation. The committee must maintain covered organization and LLC affirmations for one year after the end of the election cycle.
10.6 If a committee receives a contribution in excess of the contribution limit, the committee must return the excess to the contributor within ten days of receipt or within three days after receiving notification from the appropriate filing office, whichever is sooner, and will not be held liable.
10.7 A committee may accept contributions in cryptocurrency, up to the acceptable limit for a cash or coin contribution. The amount of the contribution is the value of the cryptocurrency at the time of the contribution. The committee must report any gain or loss after the contribution as other income or receipts.
10.8 Contributions by anonymous contributor
10.8.1 A committee may not keep anonymous contributions of $20 or more.
10.8.2 Anonymous contributions are contributions where the identity of the contributor or other required reporting information is unknown.
10.8.3 A committee must donate an anonymous contribution of $20 or more to a charitable organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service, or transmit the contribution to the State Treasurer within 30 days after receipt.
10.9 Reporting contributions and loans:
10.9.1 If a candidate does not accept voluntary spending limits, the candidate may make unlimited contributions from his or her personal funds to his or her candidate committee.
10.9.2 A candidate who accepts voluntary spending limits may make a loan to his or her candidate committee in any amount, so long as the unpaid balance of any loan does not exceed the contribution limit in Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Sections 3 and 4(2) at any time.
10.10 If all candidates who declined voluntary spending limits have withdrawn from the race or lost in the primary election, a candidate who accepted voluntary spending limits may not continue to accept contributions double the standard limits.
10.11 Cost-sharing by candidates
10.11.1 Each candidate, standalone candidate, and candidate committee that shares any cost or expense including brochures, communications, advertisements, office space, or other overhead must pay its proportionate share of the cost within 30 days of the date the cost was incurred. The committee or candidate that made the expense must report the entire amount as an expenditure. The committee or candidate reimbursing for the expense must reimburse within 30 days and report their portion of the expense as an expenditure, and the reimbursed committee or candidate must report reimbursement payments as a returned expenditure.
10.11.2 A committee nor candidate need not report discounts resulting from shared expenses as contributions given by a vendor or others on a purchase solely because more than one committee is cost-sharing with another committee.
10.11.3 If a "paid for by" disclaimer is needed for any shared communication, the names of all of the committees or candidates must be included on the communication.
10.12 Reimbursement of expenditures - payments by credit card or payment intermediary service
10.12.1 A committee must report a reimbursement of $20 or more and include the purpose, payee, and amount of the reimbursement.
10.12.2 For the purpose of reporting, simply disclosing that a payment was made to a credit card company or a payment intermediary service such as PayPal is not adequate. The committee must itemize all payments of $20 or more made with a credit card or through a payment intermediary service, including the name and address of the original payee, amount, original date of expenditure, and purpose of the expenditure.
10.12.3 An immediate reimbursement for committee expenses is not a contribution.

[Section 1-45-108(1)(e), C.R.S.]

10.13 Loans to a candidate committee
10.13.1 Financial institution loans to a candidate committee under Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 3(8) may not be forgiven.
10.13.2 Candidate loans to his or her committee
(a) A candidate may make an interest-free loan to his or her candidate committee. Any foregone interest is not a contribution to the committee.
(b) A committee must report the interest repaid for a loan made under Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 3(8) as an expenditure.
(c) A candidate may forgive a loan he or she loaned to his or her own committee. The amount of unpaid debt forgiven by the candidate remains a contribution and is not considered a returned contribution.
10.14 A committee may deposit committee money in more than one financial institution. [Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 3(9)]
10.15 Other income
10.15.1 A committee may invest its funds in any type of account or instrument of a government regulated financial institution.
10.15.2 A committee must disclose all interest or dividends earned on its bank account, earned income from a commercially reasonable transaction, or transfers of money within a political party as other income on the committee's reports. These other receipts are not subject to contribution limits.
10.16 Disclosure of contributions by limited liability companies (LLCs) [Section 1-45-103.7(5), (6), (7), and (8), C.R.S.]
10.16.1 The affirmation must include the occupation and employer of any member attributed with contributing $100 or more.
10.16.2 The affirmation provided by an LLC under section 1-45-103.7, C.R.S., must include the name and address of each LLC member, the amount attributed to each member, and, if more than $100 is attributed to a member, the occupation and employer of that member. When reporting the contribution, the committee must select the "LLC" contributor type and include the name and address of the LLC, the name and address of each member, and the amount attributed to each member. Attribution is determined by the pro-rata share of ownership.
10.16.3 A committee must return any contribution received from an LLC that does not comply with the affirmation requirements in section 1-45-103.7, C.R.S., and this rule to the contributor within 30 days.
10.16.4 A committee must itemize each contribution received from an LLC on disclosure reports, regardless of the dollar amount.
10.16.5 Any contribution from an LLC counts against contribution limits for both the individual members to whom the contribution is attributed and the LLC itself. [Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 3(9)]. An LLC may not make a contribution that exceeds the limit for a "person" established in Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 3, as adjusted by Rule 10, regardless of the amount attributed to each individual member.
10.17 Current adjusted limits
10.17.1 Adjusted limits made in the first quarter of 2023 and effective until the next adjustment is made in 2027:
(a) There is no adjustment to the contribution limits on individual donations to small donor committees outlined in Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 2(14).
(b) The aggregate limits on contributions from any person for a primary or a general election, described in Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 3(1), are adjusted as follows:
(1) $725 to any one:
(A) Governor candidate committee for the primary election, and Governor and Lieutenant Governor candidate committee, as joint candidates under section 1-1-104, C.R.S., or any successor section, for the general election;
(B) Secretary of State, State Treasurer, or Attorney General candidate committee.
(2) $225 to any one State Senate, State House of Representatives, State Board of Education, Regent of the University of Colorado, or any District Attorney candidate committee.
(c) The aggregate limits on contributions from a small donor committee for a primary or a general election, described in Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 3(2), are adjusted as follows:
(1) $7,825 to any one:
(A) Governor candidate committee for the primary election, and Governor and Lieutenant Governor candidate committee, as joint candidates under section 1-1-104, C.R.S., or any successor section, for the general election;
(B) Secretary of State, State Treasurer, or Attorney General candidate committee; and
(2) $3,100 to any one State Senate, State House of Representatives, State Board of Education, Regent of the University of Colorado, or any District Attorney candidate committee.
(d) The aggregate limits on contributions from any person to a political party, described in Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 3(3)(a), are adjusted as follows:
(1) $4,675 per year at the state, county, district, and local level combined; and
(2) Of such, no more than $3,875 at the state level.
(e) The aggregate limits on contributions from a small donor committee to a political party, described in Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 3(3)(b), are adjusted as follows:
(1) $23,600 per year at the state, county, district, and local level combined; and
(2) Of such, no more than $19,650 at the state level.
(f) The aggregate limits on pro-rata contributions or dues made to political committees, described in Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 3(5), are adjusted to $725 per house of representatives election cycle.
(g) The aggregate limits on contributions to a county candidate as defined in section 1-45-103.7 (1.5)(a)(I), C.R.S. are as follows:
(1) $1,425 for a primary or a general election from any person other than a small donor committee or a political party;
(2) $14,400 for a primary or a general election from any small donor committee; and
(3) $25,475 for the election cycle from a political party.
(h) The aggregate limits on contributions to candidates for school district director are as follows:
(1) $2,500 per election cycle from any person other than a small donor committee; and
(2) $25,000 per election cycle from any small donor committee.
(i) This table contains the contribution limits listed in subsections (a)-(h).

Recipient:

Contributor:

Natural Person

Person, other than a natural person

Political committee

Small donor committee

Political party

Political committee

$725 per election cycle

$725 per election cycle

$725 per election cycle

$725 per election cycle

$725 per election cycle

Small donor committee

$50 per year

Prohibited

Prohibited

Prohibited

Prohibited

Governor (governor & lt. governor)

$725 per election cycle*

$725 per election cycle*

$725 per election cycle*

$7,825 per election cycle*

$789,060 per election cycle

Secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general

$725 per election cycle*

$725 per election cycle*

$725 per election cycle*

$7,825 per election cycle*

$157,805 per election cycle

State senate

$225 per election cycle*

$225 per election cycle*

$225 per election cycle*

$3,100 per election cycle*

$28,395 per election cycle

State house of representatives, state board of education, regent of the University of Colorado, district attorney

$225 per election cycle*

$225 per election cycle*

$225 per election cycle*

$3,100 per election cycle*

$20,500 per election cycle

Political party

$4,675 ($3,875 at the state level) per year

$4,675 ($3,875 at the state level) per year

$4,675 ($3,875 at the state level) per year

$23,600 ($19,650 at the state level) per year

Transfers within a party may be made without limitation.

County candidate

$1,425 per election cycle*

$1,425 per election cycle*

$1,425 per election cycle*

$14,400 per election cycle*

$25,475 per election cycle

School district director

$2,500 per election cycle

$2,500 per election cycle

$2,500 per election cycle

$25,000 per election cycle

$2,500 per election cycle

* A candidate may accept the contribution limit for both the primary election and the general election.

(j) The voluntary spending limits for a candidate described in Colo. Const. Article XXVIII, Section 4(1), are adjusted as follows:
(1) The spending limit for Governor, and Governor and Lieutenant Governor as joint candidates under section 1-1-104, C.R.S., or any successor section is adjusted to $3,945,300.
(2) The spending limit for a candidate for Secretary of State, Attorney General, or Treasurer is adjusted to $789,025.
(3) The spending limit for a candidate for State Senate is adjusted to $141,975.
(4) The spending limit for a candidate for State House of Representatives, State Board of Education, Regent of the University of Colorado, or any District Attorney is adjusted to $102,500.

Candidate

Voluntary Spending Limit

Governor, and Governor and Lieutenant Governor as joint candidates

$3,945,300

Secretary of State, Attorney General, or State Treasurer

$789,025

State senate

$141,975

State House of Representatives, State Board of Education, Regent of the University of Colorado, or District Attorney

$102,500

10.18 Major Contributor Reports.
10.18.1 Municipal committees required to file major contributor reports under section 1-45-108 (2.5), C.R.S. must file with the municipal clerk.
10.18.2 Small-scale issue committees are not required to file major contributor reports under section 1-45-108 (2.5), C.R.S.
10.19 Reporting a direct ballot measure expenditure
10.19.1 The disclosure report required by section 1-45-108(1)(a)(VI), C.R.S.
(a) The aggregate of $5,000 in direct ballot measure expenditures can be met with expenditures of any amount.
(b) Once a person makes $5,000 in direct ballot measure expenditures in the aggregate within a calendar year, each additional expenditure of $1,000 or more must be reported.
(c) A single direct ballot measure expenditure of less than $1,000 does not need to be reported.
(d) Direct ballot measure expenditure disclosure reports must be filed within 48 hours of when the direct spending occurs or when a contractual agreement is made.
(e) Expenditures by an issue committee are not direct ballot measure expenditures and should be reported in accordance with Rule 10.3 and section 1-45-108(1), C.R.S.
(f) Repealed.
10.19.2 Each direct ballot measure expenditure disclosure must include:
(a) The name and address of the payor;
(b) The name and address of payee;
(c) The name of the original source of the funds, if the direct ballot measure expenditure was paid with earmarked funds;
(d) The amount of the direct ballot measure expenditure;
(e) The date of the direct ballot measure expenditure;
(f) The purpose for which the direct ballot measure expenditure was made, including the ballot measure and whether the direct ballot measure expenditure was in support or opposition of the ballot measure; and
(g) An affirmation signed by an authorized representative on a form provided by the Department or appropriate officer that the filer does not meet the definition of an issue committee and only used permissible sources for the expenditure.

8 CCR 1505-6-10

38 CR 13, July 10, 2015, effective 7/30/2015
38 CR 22, November 25, 2015, effective 12/15/2015
39 CR 17, September 10, 2016, effective 9/30/2016
40 CR 22, November 25, 2017, effective 12/15/2017
41 CR 15, August 10, 2018, effective 8/30/2018
41 CR 21, November 10, 2018, effective 11/30/2018
42 CR 01, January 10, 2019, effective 1/30/2019
43 CR 17, September 10, 2020, effective 9/30/2020
45 CR 20, October 25, 2022, effective 11/14/2022
46 CR 06, March 25, 2023, effective 2/15/2023
46 CR 10, May 25, 2023, effective 4/13/2023
46 CR 09, May 10, 2023, effective 5/30/2023
46 CR 18, September 25, 2023, effective 10/15/2023
46 CR 22, November 25, 2023, effective 12/15/2023
47 CR 20, October 25, 2024, effective 11/14/2024