Campaign Contribution Limits Revived In Missouri

ST. LOUIS, Mo.–Campaign contributions here are again limited to specific amounts per candidate and per election, after the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled that repealing campaign contribution limits is invalid, according to the Missouri Credit Union Association. This decision follows a Cole County Circuit Court ruling that upheld the 2006 Missouri General Assembly’s removal of caps on campaign contributions. The law also contained a ban on fund-raising during the state legislative session, which runs from early January through mid-May. However, the Cole County Circuit Court removed that ban on fund-raising in its decision. The state Supreme Court said the lower-court judge should have restored the campaign limits when he tossed out the blackout period for fund-raising because splitting the two elements ran counter to the Legislature’s wishes, as lawmakers had rejected proposals repealing the limits without a blackout period. No decision has been made on whether candidates must return any of the money they have collected since January. The Missouri CU Association is advising CUs to take note of these limits when considering political contributions, and to use the 2006 campaign finance limits until further notice.