A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish a pilot program for public financing of municipal election campaigns.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 160A‑499.1, as enacted by Section 2 of Session Law 2007‑222, reads as rewritten:
"§ 160A‑499.1. Uniform, nondiscriminatory program of public financing of election campaigns.
(a)	A governing body of a city may appropriate funds for a public campaign financing program as defined in G.S. 163‑278.6(17a) for city office in that city's jurisdiction if the city has held at least one public hearing on the program before adopting it and the program is approved by the State Board of Elections. The State Board of Elections shall develop guidelines for the basic components needed in a program to meet the criteria set forth in G.S. 163‑278.6(17a) and shall approve a city's program that meets the criteria. Any city exercising authority under this section shall provide full notice to the county board of elections in any county in which it has territory.
(b)	The governing body of a city appropriating funds as provided by this section shall prepare a report no later than six months after the second election in which it appropriates funds under this section that analyzes its experience in implementing a public campaign financing program by that date, including percent of candidates participating in a program, sources and amounts of funding, litigation involving a program, administrative issues, and recommendations for changes in this statute. The report shall be presented by that date to the State Board of Elections."
SECTION 2.  Sections 3 and 4 of Session Law 2007‑222 read as rewritten:
"SECTION 3. This act applies to the Town of Chapel Hill and to other municipalities selected by the State Board of Elections for participation in a pilot program for the public financing of municipal campaigns. The State Board of Elections shall select for the pilot program only municipalities whose governing boards have submitted proposals that comply with the criteria of G.S. 160A‑499.1. In selecting those municipalities, the State Board shall seek diversity of population size, regional location, and demographic composition. The State Board shall limit the number of municipalities selected according to its own resources to administer the pilot program. The State Board of Elections shall closely monitor the pilot program and report its findings and recommendations by June 30, 2016, to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, to the Fiscal Research Division of the Legislative Services Office, to the Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee, and to the committees in the House of Representatives and Senate to which election‑related bills are primarily referred. The State Board shall provide interim reports to those same entities by June 30, 2012, and June 30, 2014.
"SECTION 4. This act is effective when it becomes law and expires July 1, 2016."
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.