Many thanks to all who came out to the first-ever Ohio Contractors Political Action Committee (PAC) fundraiser at the Hill-N-Dale club in Medina.  The beautiful club hosted thirty OCA members who not only financially supported the legislative goals of the heavy/highway construction industry in Ohio, but had a great day shooting sporting clays and networking with other association members.

Nick DiGeronimo, OCA Chairman of the Board, organized the event which we intend to make an annual fundraiser for the PAC.  New shooter Joel Williamson of the J.D. Williamson Company also offered a great deal of support and enthusiasm for the event.  Thanks to both Nick and Joel for their support.  Monetary prizes for the top three shooters were awarded, with Mike Garofalo of Beaver Excavating taking home $100 for his first place finish.  A catered luncheon and distribution of door prizes followed the 100 rounds of sporting clays on a very challenging course.

We hope you will join us next year for this fun opportunity to get to know your fellow OCA members in a casual atmosphere, while support the Ohio Contractors PAC at the same time.

Since a state and presidential election year is now in full-swing, this may be a good time for a refresher on state and federal campaign finance contribution limits and laws.

STATE:

How Much May Be Contributed:

Individuals may contribute up to $11, 543.70 annually to a PAC.  This amount is indexed to increase every other year.  An individual may also contribute $11,543.70 per election period (primary period or general election period) to statewide candidates or to candidates for the Ohio House or Senate.  For a chart listing all contribution limits, please go to the Ohio Secretary of State's Office by clicking here.

Don't forget that Ohio law prohibits a department of the state or any of its political subdivisions to award UNBID contracts over $500 to a company or individual if in the previous two calendar years, the individual, partner, 20+% owner (or their spouse) has made campaign contributions to the public officer who is awarding the contract totaling more than $1000.  The prohibition is clearly on the issuer of the contract and, as part of the contract background and terms, most officials will review contribution lists and require language that the recipient of the contract has complied with the pertinent section of the law (Ohio Revised Code 3517.13).  Keep in mind that this restriction does not apply to competitively bid contracts or contracts that go before the state Controlling Board.

FEDERAL:

How Much May Be Contributed

Your contributions to Federal candidates and committees are limited under the law. You, the contributor, and the committee to which you give are both legally responsible for making sure that your contribution does not exceed your contribution limits. The paragraphs below list the contribution limits for individuals.

Contribution Limits

An individual may give a maximum of:

• $2,500 per election to a Federal candidate or the candidate's campaign committee.   Notice that the limit applies separately to each election. Primaries, runoffs and general elections are considered separate elections.
• $5,000 per calendar year to a PAC. This limit applies to a PAC (political action committee) that supports Federal candidates (NOTE: OCA'S PAC is not a federal PAC). (PACs are neither party committees nor candidate committees. Some PACs are sponsored by corporations and unions--trade, industry and labor PACs. Other PACs, often ideological, do not have a corporate or labor sponsor and are therefore called nonconnected PACs.) PACs use your contributions to make their own contributions to Federal candidates and to fund other election-related activities.
• $10,000 per calendar year to a State or local party committee. A State party committee shares its limits with local party committees in that state unless a local committee's independence can be demonstrated.
• $30,800 per calendar year to a national party committee. This limit applies separately to a party's national committee, House campaign committee and Senate campaign committee.
• $117,000 total biennial limit. This biennial limit places a ceiling on your total contributions, as explained below.
• $100 in currency (cash) to any political committee. (Anonymous cash contributions may not exceed $50.) Contributions exceeding $100 must be made by check, money order or other written instrument.

$117,000 Biennial Limit

You have a biennial (two year) limit of $117,000 on your total contributions to Federal candidates and Federal political committees combined. Of the $117,000, an individual may contribute no more than $46,200 to candidates and no more than $70,800 to all PACs and parties (no more than $46,200 of the $70,800 may be given to committees that are not national party committees).

Presidential Campaigns

The contribution limits work a little differently for Presidential campaigns. In the case of a Presidential candidate running in various State primaries, you may contribute up to $2,500 for the entire primary campaign period--not $2,500 for each State primary in which the candidate runs.

Your contributions may be supplemented with Federal (U.S. Treasury) funds. If a Presidential primary candidate has qualified for the Federal matching fund program, up to $250 of your total contributions to that candidate may be matched with Federal funds. To qualify for matching, contributions must be in the form of a check or other written instrument. (Note that some contributions are not matchable, such as currency, loans, goods and services, and any type of contribution from a political committee.)

In the general election, however, you may not make any contributions to the campaigns of Democratic or Republican nominees who receive Federal funds. (Federal funding in the general election takes the form of direct government grants rather than matching payments.) You may nevertheless designate a contribution of up to $2,500 to the candidate's compliance fund, a special account used to pay for certain legal and accounting expenses. You may also contribute up to $2,500 to the general election campaign of any Presidential candidate who is not a Federally funded Democratic or Republican nominee.

Prohibited Contributions

While most individuals are free to make political contributions, three categories of individuals are prohibited by law from making contributions: foreign nationals and Federal government contractors and, in some instances, minors. These and other prohibitions on contributions are explained below.

Foreign Nationals

Foreign nationals may not make contributions in connection with any election--Federal, State or local. This prohibition does not apply to foreign citizens who are lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (those who have "green cards").

Federal Government Contractors

Federal government contractors may not make contributions to influence Federal elections. For example, if you are a consultant under contract to a Federal agency, you may not contribute to Federal candidates or political committees. Or, if you are the sole proprietor of a business with a Federal government contract, you may not make contributions from personal or business funds. But, if you are merely employed by a company (or partnership) with Federal government contracts, you are permitted to make contributions from your personal funds.

Corporations and Unions

The law also prohibits contributions from corporations and labor unions. This prohibition applies to any incorporated organization, profit or nonprofit. For example, the owner of an incorporated "mom and pop" grocery store is not permitted to use a business account to make contributions. Instead, the owner would have to use a personal account. A corporate employee may make contributions through a nonrepayable corporate drawing account, which allows the individual to draw personal funds against salary, profits or other compensation.

Contributions in the Name of Another

Contributions made in the name of another are prohibited. For example, an individual who has already contributed up to the limit for a candidate's election may not give money to another person to make a contribution to the same candidate. Similarly, a corporation is prohibited from using bonuses or other methods of reimbursing employees for their contributions. 

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