Minnesota Regulations § 4503.1450 DISTRIBUTION OF GENERAL ACCOUNT PUBLIC SUBSIDY FUNDS

The general account public subsidy agreement required in Minnesota Statutes, section 10A.31 , subdivision 7, may be provided to candidates on a separate form, or incorporated into the public subsidy agreement. The agreement must require that the candidate spend or be legally obligated to spend at least 50 percent of the general account public subsidy payment by the end of the reporting period prior to the general election. The agreement must also provide that if the candidate does not meet this requirement, the candidate must repay the board the difference between the candidates general account public subsidy payment and the candidates total campaign expenditures as of the end of the reporting period prior to the general election. The agreement must further provide that the candidate must reimburse the board for any reasonable collection costs incurred in securing the repayment of the unused general account public subsidy payment.

A candidate who fails to repay money required by the agreement cannot be paid additional general account public subsidy funds during the current or future election cycles until the entirety of the unexpended general account funds, and any associated collection fees, are either repaid to the board or discharged by a court action.

For purposes of determining a candidate's fulfillment of the terms of the agreement, the board must use the September 1 certification of available funds from the commissioner of the Department of Revenue to estimate the general account public subsidy payment for the candidate's office. Using first class mail, the board must inform each candidate eligible for a general account payment of the minimum amount that must be spent to comply with the terms of the agreement.