19:44A-19.1 - Candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Legislature, solicitations on State property; prohibited, certain circumstances
19:44A-19.1 Candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Legislature, solicitations on State property; prohibited, certain circumstances.
1. a. For the purposes of this section, the terms "contribution", "candidate", "candidate committee", and "joint candidates committee", shall have the meanings prescribed for those terms by section 3 of P.L.1973, c.83 (C.19:44A-3); and the term "property" means buildings used for the discharge of official government functions, business, duties, or purposes.
b. (1) No candidate for the office of Governor, the office of Lieutenant Governor or the office of member of the Legislature, or any holder of that elective public office, or their agent or representative, while located on any property exclusively owned or leased by the State, or any agency of the State, shall, directly or indirectly, solicit any contribution to or on behalf of any candidate for the office of Governor, the office of Lieutenant Governor or any candidate for the office of member of the Senate or General Assembly, or any candidate for another elective public office held or sought by a candidate for or holder of the office of member of the Legislature, or the candidate committee or joint candidates committee of any such candidate.
The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any casual or inadvertent communication otherwise made in connection with, but without intent to solicit, such a contribution.
(2)No person, while located on any property exclusively owned or leased by the State, or any agency of the State, shall, directly or indirectly, make any contribution to or on behalf of any candidate for the office of Governor, the office of Lieutenant Governor or any candidate for the office of member of the Senate or General Assembly, or any candidate for another elective public office held or sought by a candidate for or holder of the office of member of the Legislature, or the candidate committee or joint candidates committee of any such candidate.
c.Any candidate for the office of Governor, the office of Lieutenant Governor or the office of member of the Legislature or any holder of that elective public office, or their agent or representative, or any person, who is determined by the Election Law Enforcement Commission to have violated this act shall be liable to a penalty of not less than $5,000 for each violation. Any penalty imposed pursuant to this section may be recovered by a summary proceeding pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).
d.In the event property exclusively owned or leased by the State, or any agency of the State, or part thereof, is made available, through rent, reservation or otherwise, for the exclusive use of any group for a non-governmental purpose as a meeting location, the prohibition in subsection b. of this section shall not apply and the solicitation or making of contributions or funds of any nature from any or among or by the members of the group during the time the group is using the property made available as a meeting location is permitted.
L.2004, c.21, s.1; amended 2009, c.66, s.14.