Bill
SB 2608
SB 2608 would cap corporate political contributions at $1,000 per year, but the posted text is an appropriations bill with an unrelated amendment and the measure died in committee.
Status: Died in committee (filed 2025-02-25 / introduced 2025-03-13)
Primary sponsor: Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
Classification/Subjects: Elections; Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency; Apportionment and Elections
Important note about the record
- The bill metadata and title provided to this summary assert SB 2608 would “limit corporate political campaign contributions to $1,000.00 per calendar year.” However, the official bill text attached in the record is not a campaign‑finance measure: it is primarily an appropriations bill for the Office of the Secretary of State (FY2026) and also contains an unrelated committee amendment that appears to insert language from a Mississippi limited liability company statute. The legislative history shows committee activity but final disposition is “Died In Committee.” This summary therefore (1) explains the campaign‑finance proposal as described in the title, and (2) describes the actual bill text and procedural status from the posted document so readers understand the discrepancy.
1) Campaign‑finance proposal (as stated in the provided title)
- Main purpose: To cap corporate political campaign contributions at $1,000 per calendar year.
- Key provision: Prohibits corporations from making political contributions that cumulatively exceed $1,000 within a calendar year (text not provided; description based on title).
- Who would be affected: All corporations (and likely corporate political action committees) that contribute to candidates, party committees, or political committees within the jurisdiction; candidates and committees would receive smaller aggregate corporate funding; enforcement would depend on the implementing language (penalties, reporting, exceptions for subsidiaries, PACs, etc. — not present in the record).
- Potential impacts: Would reduce the role of direct corporate cash in elections, likely shift corporate political activity toward independent expenditures, trade association giving, or increased use of separate segregated funds/PACs unless the measure also restricts those channels. Administrative and compliance burden would fall on corporate treasurers, campaign compliance units, and the state board or elections agency that enforces contribution limits.
- Missing details: The record does not provide statutory text, enforcement mechanisms, exemptions (e.g., for incorporated small businesses, unions, nonprofit 501(c) organizations), or an effective date for this change.
2) Actual bill text in the record (appropriations + anomalous amendment)
- Appropriations: The posted “Introduced” version describes appropriations to the Office of the Secretary of State for ordinary, contingent, and distributive expenses in State Fiscal Year 2026, effective July 1, 2025. Selected line items include:
- Executive Group — Regular positions (General Revenue Fund): $7,106,000
- Executive Group — Extra help (General Revenue Fund): $88,200
- General Administrative Group — Regular positions (General Revenue Fund): $65,470,000
- Multiple other line‑items across funds (Lobbyist Registration Fund, Securities Audit & Enforcement Fund, Department of Business Services Special Operations Fund) for salaries, retirement contributions, contractual services, equipment, printing, etc. (numerous amounts listed in the document).
- Amendment anomaly: A committee substitute (Amendment No. 1) in the posted record inserts language amending section 79‑29‑105 of the Mississippi Code (LLC definitions) — clearly unrelated to Illinois appropriations or campaign finance. This suggests a clerical or document‑assembly error in the posted materials.
- Effective date listed for the appropriations measure: July 1, 2025.
3) Procedural history and disposition
- Filed/first read: 2025-02-25 (sponsor: Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr.)
- Committee activity: Referred to relevant committees (Assignments; Apportionment and Elections; Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency; Local Government; Elections). Committee substitute adopted; public hearings and testimony recorded (April 2025); reported favorably without amendments (4/30/2025).
- Intent calendar activity: Placed on and later not again placed on the intent calendar (May 2025).
- Final status in provided record: Died In Committee (3/04/2025 appears in the record as the “Died In Committee” date).
- Companion: HB 2985 listed as a companion.
4) What to watch / recommended next steps for researchers
- If your interest is the proposed $1,000 corporate contribution cap: obtain the official legislative text of the campaign‑finance proposal (either SB 2608 as originally filed under that subject, or companion HB 2985) because the posted document does not contain operative campaign‑finance language, enforcement provisions, exemptions, or definitions.
- If your interest is budget/appropriations to the Secretary of State: review the full appropriations draft and any conference or subsequent budget bills for final enacted amounts.
- Clarify with the legislative clerk or bill sponsor which document version was intended to be associated with SB 2608, since the document assembly appears to include unrelated statutory language.
This summary presents both the intended subject line (corporate contribution cap of $1,000/year) and the actual attached bill content (FY2026 Secretary of State appropriations plus an anomalous insertion). If you want, I can: (a) draft a model statutory text to implement a $1,000 corporate contribution cap (with enforcement and exemptions), or (b) extract and format the full appropriation line items from the posted draft. Which would you prefer?
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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