§ 163-278.316. Limitations on legal expense donations. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 163‑278.316. Limitations on legal expense donations.

(a)        No entity shallmake, and no treasurer shall accept, any monetary legal expense donation inexcess of fifty dollars ($50.00) unless such legal expense donation is in theform of a check, draft, money order, credit card charge, debit, or othernoncash method that can be subject to written verification. No legal expensedonation in the form of check, draft, money order, credit card charge, debit,or other noncash method may be made or accepted unless it contains a specificdesignation of the intended donee chosen by the donor.

(b)        The State Board ofElections may adopt rules as to the reporting and verification of any method oflegal expense donation payment allowed under this Article. For legal expensedonations by money order, the State Board shall adopt rules to ensure an audittrail for every legal expense donation so that the identity of the donor can bedetermined.

(c)        For any legalexpense donation made by credit card, the credit card account number of a donoris not a public record.

(d)        No legal expensefund shall accept legal expense donations from a corporation, labor union,insurance company, professional association, or business entity in excess offour thousand dollars ($4,000) per calendar year. No legal expense fund shallaccept legal expense donations from a corporation which when totaled with legalexpense donations to the same legal expense fund for the same calendar yearfrom any affiliated corporation exceed the per calendar year legal expensedonation limits for that legal expense fund. No legal expense fund shall acceptlegal expense donations from a labor union which when totaled with legalexpense donations to the same legal expense fund for the same calendar yearfrom any affiliated labor union exceed the per calendar year legal expensedonation limits for that legal expense fund. No legal expense fund shall acceptlegal expense donations from an insurance company which when totaled with legalexpense donations to the same legal expense fund for the same calendar yearfrom any affiliated insurance company exceed the per calendar year legalexpense donation limits for that legal expense fund. No legal expense fundshall accept legal expense donations from a professional association which whentotaled with legal expense donations to the same legal expense fund for thesame calendar year from any affiliated professional association exceed the percalendar year legal expense donation limits for that legal expense fund. Nolegal expense fund shall accept legal expense donations from a business entitywhich when totaled with legal expense donations to the same legal expense fundfor the same calendar year from any affiliated business entity exceed the percalendar year legal expense donation limits for that legal expense fund. Thedefinitions of corporation, labor union, insurance company, professionalassociation, and business entity are the same as those in G.S. 163‑278.6.This subsection does not apply to political committees created pursuant to G.S.163‑278.19(b), except that no legal expense fund shall accept a legalexpense donation which would be a violation of G.S. 163‑278.13B ifaccepted by a candidate or political committee. This subsection does not applyto corporations permitted to make contributions in G.S. 163‑278.19(f).

(e)        No entity shallmake a legal expense donation to a legal expense fund that the legal expensefund could not accept under subsection (d) of this section.  (2007‑349, s. 1; 2009‑534,s. 2(f).)