§ 9 — Contributions and expenditures over $50 or $100; use of credit or debit card by committee; penalties

Section 9. No individual, candidate or political committee, or person acting on behalf of the individual, candidate or political committee, shall accept a contribution of money from any 1 person or political committee if the aggregate amount contributed in a calendar year exceeds $50 in cash or $100 by money order or bank check, except by a written instrument or by direct deposit pursuant to section 9A. For the purposes of the preceding sentence the term ''written instrument'' shall mean a check on which the contributor is directly liable or which is written on a personal, escrow, trust, partnership, business or other account which represents or contains the contributor's funds. The term ''written instrument'' shall also mean for contributions by credit or debit card, a paper record signed by the cardholder or, in the case of such contribution made over the Internet, an electronic record created and transmitted by the cardholder. The term ''written instrument'' shall not mean a certified check, cashier's check, treasurer's check, registered check, money order, traveler's check or other similar negotiable instrument. The director shall establish reasonable rules and regulations concerning the making of contributions by a written instrument. No individual, candidate, political committee, or person acting on behalf of said individual, candidate, or political committee, shall make an expenditure for an amount exceeding $50 except by check or by credit card in accordance with the following paragraph.A political committee may maintain and use a credit or debit card obtained in accordance with applicable banking laws and in the ordinary course of business to make expenditures for the purpose for which the committee was organized pursuant to section 6; provided, however, that no contribution of money shall be accepted by any individual, candidate or political committee or person acting on behalf of the individual, candidate or political committee other than in accordance with the first paragraph of this section. The director shall establish reasonable rules and regulations concerning the use of credit and debit cards and shall provide instruction on the disclosure of expenditures by credit and debit card to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.Any individual or candidate, or any person acting on behalf of said individual or candidate, or on behalf of a political committee, who violates any provision of this section shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or both.