Section 10-1-2 Establishment of segregated, separate political funds; voluntary contributions; filing of disclosure reports; violations.
Section 10-1-2
Establishment of segregated, separate political funds; voluntary contributions; filing of disclosure reports; violations.
(a) Any business or nonprofit corporation, incorporated under the laws of or doing business in this state, or any officer or agent acting in behalf of such corporation may give, pay, expend or contribute money, or services or anything of value for the purposes of establishing, administering or soliciting voluntary contributions to a separate, segregated fund to be utilized for political purposes (i) to aid or promote the nomination or election of any person, including an incumbent political officeholder or any other person who is or becomes a candidate for political office; or (ii) to aid or promote the interest or success, or defeat of any political party or political proposition. Any separate, segregated fund, established hereunder for any of the above enumerated purposes shall be established and administered pursuant to the following requirements and prohibitions:
(1) Any business or nonprofit corporation incorporated under the laws of or doing business in this state, or any officer or agent acting in behalf of such corporation which has established a separate, segregated political fund or any separate, segregated fund established by such corporation or officer or agent acting in behalf of such corporation may solicit voluntary contributions to such fund only from such corporation's stockholders and their families and its employees and their families; or in the case of a nonprofit corporation, its members and their employees. However, such funds may accept voluntary contributions from any individuals or from any other separate, segregated political funds.
(2) The custodians of any separate, segregated political fund established hereunder shall file with the Office of the Secretary of State of the State of Alabama such financial disclosure reports or statements now required of a candidate for public office. Filing with the Secretary of State a copy of the information required to be filed with the Federal Election Commission by such separate, segregated fund shall constitute compliance with the reporting provisions of this section.
(b) It shall be unlawful:
(1) For any separate, segregated political fund established pursuant to this section or for any person acting in behalf of such fund to solicit or secure any money or anything of value by physical force, job discrimination or financial reprisals, or by threats thereof; by dues, fees or other moneys required as a condition of employment or by moneys obtained in any commercial transaction;
(2) For any person soliciting contributions to such fund to fail to inform any person being solicited of the political purposes of such fund at the time of such solicitation;
(3) For any person soliciting for a contribution to such fund to fail to inform the person being solicited, at the time of such solicitation, of his right to refuse to contribute without any reprisal; and
(4) For any corporation regulated by the Public Service Commission to pass on to its customers any contribution made for the purpose of establishing, administering or soliciting voluntary contributions to a separate, segregated fund to be utilized for political purposes.
(Acts 1979, No. 79-705, p. 1253, §1.)