§ 20-1002. Contribution Limitations. 71
   (1)   Except as otherwise provided in this Section 20-1002, no individual shall make total contributions per calendar year, including contributions made to or through one or more political committees or persons, of more than three thousand dollars ($3,000), cumulatively, to: 72
      (a)   a campaign for City elective office; or
      (b)   to a former candidate or the candidate political committee of a former candidate for City elective office if that committee is carrying debt incurred to influence the outcome of a covered election.
   (2)   Except as otherwise provided in this Section 20-1002, no person, other than individuals who are covered under subsection 20-1002(1), and no political committee shall make total contributions per calendar year, including contributions made to or through one or more political committees or persons, of more than twelve thousand dollars ($12,000), cumulatively, to: 73
      (a)   a campaign for City elective office; or
      (b)   to the candidate committee of a former candidate for City elective office if that committee is carrying debt incurred to influence the outcome of a covered election.
   (3)   No campaign may spend any excess pre-candidacy contributions for the purpose of influencing the outcome of a covered election in which that campaign's candidate is a candidate.
   (4)   No campaign may spend any excess pre-candidacy contributions for the purposes of:
      (a)   transition or inauguration expenses; or
      (b)   retiring debt that was incurred to:
         (.1)   influence the outcome of an already completed covered election; or
         (.2)   cover transition or inauguration expenses related to an already completed covered election.
   (5)   A pre-candidacy contribution made in the same calendar year that an individual becomes a candidate shall count toward the limitations on contributions set forth in subsections (1) and (2).
   (6)   The limitations imposed by subsections 20-1002(1) and (2) shall not apply to contributions from a candidate's personal resources to the candidate's own campaign. However, if such contributions made since the more recent of (i) the most recent election cycle for the office sought by the candidate, or (ii) the last municipal election in which the candidate sought office total two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) or more, then the contribution limits set forth in subsections 20-1002(1) and (2) above shall double with respect to other campaigns for that City elective office. The contribution limits set forth in subsections 20-1002(7) and (8) below shall not double based on such a contribution of personal resources.
   (7)   Notwithstanding the limits set forth in subsections 20-1002(1) and (2), if a campaign establishes a Litigation Fund Committee pursuant to Section 20-1009:
      (a)   an individual may make contributions to that committee of up to, but not in excess of, three thousand dollars ($3,000) per calendar year, including contributions made through one or more political committees or persons; and
      (b)   a person other than an individual may make contributions to that committee of up to, but not in excess of, twelve thousand dollars ($12,000) per calendar year, including contributions made through one or more political committees or persons.
   (8)   Notwithstanding the limits set forth in subsections 20-1002(1) and (2), if a campaign or former candidate establishes a Transition and Inauguration Committee pursuant to Section 20-1011:
      (a)   an individual may make contributions to that committee of up to, but not in excess of, three thousand dollars ($3,000) per calendar year, including contributions made through one or more political committees or persons; and
      (b)   a person other than an individual may make contributions to that committee of up to, but not in excess of, twelve thousand dollars ($12,000) per calendar year, including contributions made through one or more political committees or persons.
   (9)   The limitations imposed by subsections 20-1002(7) and (8) shall not apply to contributions from a candidate's personal resources or from a candidate's own candidate political committee. A campaign or former candidate shall not transfer funds to its candidate political committee from a Litigation Fund Committee or a Transition and Inauguration Committee.
   (10)   The limitations imposed by this subsection shall not apply to volunteer labor.
   (11)   On January 1, 2020 and on January 1 every four years thereafter, the maximum amounts set forth in this Section 20-1002 shall be adjusted, as follows. On the December 15 immediately preceding the adjustment, the Finance Director shall calculate the "CPI Multiplier" by dividing the average consumer price index for Philadelphia during the then-current calendar year by the average consumer price index for Philadelphia during calendar year 2016. To determine the average consumer price index for Philadelphia, the Finance Director shall use the latest available figures for the Consumer Price Index for all urban Consumers (CPI-U) All Items Index, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as measured by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. After calculating the CPI Multiplier, the Finance Director shall calculate the new maximum amounts as follows:
      (a)   The maximum amounts for purposes of subsections 20-1002(1), (7)(a), and (8)(a) shall equal three thousand dollars ($3,000), multiplied by the CPI Multiplier, rounded to the nearest one hundred dollars ($100).
      (b)   The maximum amounts for purposes of subsections 20-1002(2), (7)(b), and (8)(b) shall equal twelve thousand dollars ($12,000), multiplied by the CPI Multiplier, rounded to the nearest one hundred dollars ($100).
   The Finance Director shall certify the new maximum amounts in writing to the Mayor, the City Council President, the Chief Clerk of Council, and the Board of Ethics.
   (12)   No candidate, former candidate, candidate's candidate political committee, former candidate's candidate political committee, Litigation Fund Committee or Transition and Inauguration Committee shall accept any contribution which exceeds the contribution limits set forth in this Chapter.
   (13)   A campaign may pay a political committee or other person to have the candidate's own name placed on a sample ballot distributed by that political committee or to conduct or organize get-out-the-vote activities (such as canvassing or the distribution of campaign literature or sample ballots) and, so long as the recipient political committee or other person offers similar services to other campaigns and the amount charged is commensurate with the services provided, any expenditures made by the political committee or other person for printing or distribution of the campaign literature or sample ballot on which the candidate appears shall not be counted as a contribution to the candidate for the purpose of calculating the contribution limits set forth in this Section and shall be permissible under Section 20-1003. In the case of such payment being made to a person other than a political committee, whether directly by the campaign or through another person, the campaign shall disclose not just that person to whom it made payment but also any persons whom that person pays or employs in order to provide the services promised. 74
   (14)   If a person or political committee makes an expenditure to a political committee in order that a candidate's name be placed on a sample ballot, the amount of the expenditure from that person or political committee shall be counted as a contribution to the candidate for the purpose of calculating the contribution limits set forth in this Section. Any additional expenditures made by the political committee distributing the sample ballot to print or distribute the sample ballot shall not be counted as a contribution to the candidate. If the expenditure by the person or political committee is an independent expenditure, as defined by the Pennsylvania Election Code, it is not a contribution to the candidate. 75
   (15)   Two or more campaigns may jointly pay for campaign literature, advertising, or get-out-the-vote activities (such as canvassing or the distribution of campaign literature or sample ballots) and, so long as each campaign contemporaneously pays its fair portion of the costs, such expenditures by each campaign shall not count towards the contribution limits of any other participating campaign and shall be permissible under Section 20-1003. Any campaign making such expenditures shall obtain and maintain appropriate documentation, including invoices and printer's samples, which shall be provided to the Board upon request. 76

 

Notes

71
   Amended, Bill No. 050301-A (approved June 9, 2005). See note 67 for effective date provisions. Caption and Section amended, Bill No. 060629 (approved November 16, 2006); amended, Bill No. 100122 (approved June 16, 2010); amended, Bill No. 100360 (approved October 12, 2010), effective July 1, 2010; amended, Bill No. 190083-A (approved May 1, 2019); amended, Bill No. 220361 (approved June 22, 2022).
72
   Pursuant to subsection 20-1002(11)(a), the Director of Finance on December 12, 2007, certified a new contribution limit of two thousand six hundred dollars ($2,600), effective January 1, 2008; and on December 30, 2011, and January 10, 2012, certified a new contribution limit of two thousand nine hundred dollars ($2,900), effective January 1, 2012; and on January 11, 2016, certified a new contribution limit of three thousand dollars ($3,000), effective January 1, 2016.
73
   Amended, Bill No. 110073 (approved April 14, 2011). Pursuant to subsection 20-1002(11)(b), the Director of Finance on December 12, 2007, certified a new contribution limit of ten thousand six hundred dollars ($10,600), effective January 1, 2008; and on December 30, 2011, and January 10, 2012, certified a new contribution limit of eleven thousand five hundred dollars ($11,500), effective January 1, 2012; and on January 11, 2016, certified a new contribution limit of eleven thousand nine hundred dollars ($11,900), effective January 1, 2016. The contribution limit was increased to twelve thousand dollars ($12,000) by Bill No. 190083-A (approved May 1, 2019).
74
   Added, Bill No. 100126 (became law June 17, 2010); amended, Bill No. 220049 (approved June 22, 2022).
75
   Added, Bill No. 100126 (became law June 17, 2010).
76
   Amended, Bill No. 220049 (approved June 22, 2022).