36-11-305. Campaign contribution during session prohibited.
(1)
It is unlawful for a person, lobbyist, principal, or political committee to make a campaign contribution, or contract, promise, or agree to make a campaign contribution, to any of the following during the time the Legislature is convened in annual general session, veto override session, or special session:
Attorney's Note
Under the Utah Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
Lobbyist: means :
(i)
an individual who is employed by a principal; or
(ii)
an individual who contracts for economic consideration, other than reimbursement for reasonable travel expenses, with a principal to lobby a public official. See Utah Code 36-11-102
Principal: means a person that employs an individual to perform lobbying, either as an employee or as an independent contractor. See Utah Code 36-11-102
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
Veto: The procedure established under the Constitution by which the President/Governor refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. A regular veto occurs when the President/Governor returns the legislation to the house in which it originated. The President/Governor usually returns a vetoed bill with a message indicating his reasons for rejecting the measure. In Congress, the veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.
(a)
(i)
a legislator;
(ii)
the lieutenant governor;
(iii)
the attorney general;
(iv)
the state auditor; or
(v)
the state treasurer;
(b)
the personal campaign committee of an individual described in Subsection (1)(a); or
(c)
a political action committee controlled by a person described in Subsection (1)(a).
(2)
It is unlawful for a person, lobbyist, principal, or political committee to make a campaign contribution, or contract, promise, or agree to make a campaign contribution, to the governor, the governor’s personal campaign committee, or a political action committee controlled by the governor during the time the Legislature is convened in annual general session, veto override session, special session, or during the time period established by the Utah Constitution, Article VII, Section 8, for the governor to approve or veto bills passed by the Legislature in the annual general session.
(3)
Any person who violates this section is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
