Section 14-100. Definitions

As  used  in  this  article:  1.  "political
  committee" means any corporation aiding or promoting and any  committee,
  political  club  or  combination  of  one  or  more persons operating or
  co-operating to aid or to promote the success or defeat of  a  political
  party or principle, or of any ballot proposal; or to aid or take part in
  the  election  or  defeat  of a candidate for public office or to aid or
  take part in the election or defeat of a candidate for nomination  at  a
  primary  election or convention, including all proceedings prior to such
  primary election, or of a candidate for any party position voted for  at
  a primary election, or to aid or defeat the nomination by petition of an
  independent  candidate  for  public  office; but nothing in this article
  shall apply to any committee  or  organization  for  the  discussion  or
  advancement of political questions or principles without connection with
  any  vote  or  to  a  national  committee  organized for the election of
  presidential or vice-presidential candidates; provided, however, that  a
  person  or  corporation  making  a  contribution  or  contributions to a
  candidate or a political committee which has filed pursuant  to  section
  14-118  shall  not,  by  that  fact  alone,  be deemed to be a political
  committee as herein defined.
    2. "party committee" means any committee provided for in the rules  of
  the  political  party in accordance with section two-one hundred of this
  chapter, other than a constituted committee.
    3. "constituted committee" means a state committee, a county committee
  or a duly constituted subcommittee of a county committee;
    4. "duly  constituted  subcommittee  of  a  county  committee"  means,
  outside  the  city  of New York, a city, town or village committee, and,
  within the city of New  York,  an  assembly  district  committee,  which
  consists of all county committee members from the city, town, village or
  assembly district, as the case may be, and only such members;
    5.  "non-candidate  expenditures"  means  expenditures made by a party
  committee  or  a  constituted  committee   to   maintain   a   permanent
  headquarters  and  staff  and  carry  on  ordinary  party activities not
  promoting the candidacy of specific candidates;
    6. "district" means the entire state or any part thereof, as the  case
  may be;
    7.  "candidate" means an individual who seeks nomination for election,
  or election, to any public office or party position to be voted for at a
  primary, general or special or New York city community  school  district
  election  or  election  for  trustee of the Long Island Power Authority,
  whether or not the public office or party position has been specifically
  identified at such time and whether or not such individual is  nominated
  or  elected,  and, for purposes of this subdivision, an individual shall
  be deemed to seek nomination for election, or election, to an office  or
  position,  if  he  has (1) taken the action necessary to qualify himself
  for nomination for election, or election, or (2) received  contributions
  or  made expenditures, given his consent for any other person to receive
  contributions or make expenditures, with a view to  bringing  about  his
  nomination  for  election, or election, to any office or position at any
  time whether in the year in which such contributions or expenditures are
  made or at any other time; and
    8. "legislative leader" means any of the following: the speaker of the
  assembly; the minority leader of the assembly; the  temporary  president
  of the senate and the minority leader of the senate.
    9. "contribution" means:
    (1)  any  gift, subscription, outstanding loan (to the extent provided
  for in section 14-114 of this chapter), advance, or deposit of money  or
  any thing of value, made in connection with the nomination for election,

  or  election, of any candidate, or made to promote the success or defeat
  of a political party or principle, or of any ballot proposal,
    (2) any funds received by a political committee from another political
  committee to the extent such funds do not constitute a transfer,
    (3)  any  payment, by any person other than a candidate or a political
  committee authorized by the  candidate,  made  in  connection  with  the
  nomination  for  election  or  election of any candidate, or any payment
  made to promote the success or defeat of a political party or principle,
  or of any ballot proposal including but not limited to compensation  for
  the personal services of any individual which are rendered in connection
  with  a  candidate's  election  or  nomination  without charge; provided
  however, that none of the foregoing shall be deemed a contribution if it
  is made, taken or performed by a candidate or his spouse or by a  person
  or  a  political committee independent of the candidate or his agents or
  authorized political committees.  For purposes of this article, the term
  "independent of the candidate or  his  agents  or  authorized  political
  committees"  shall  mean  that the candidate or his agents or authorized
  political committees did not  authorize,  request,  suggest,  foster  or
  cooperate  in  any  such  activity;  and provided further, that the term
  contribution shall not include:
    (A) the value of services provided without compensation by individuals
  who volunteer a portion or all of their time on behalf of a candidate or
  political committee,
    (B) the use of real or personal property and the cost of  invitations,
  food  and beverages voluntarily provided by an individual to a candidate
  or political committee on  the  individual's  residential  premises  for
  candidate-related  activities  to the extent such services do not exceed
  five hundred dollars in value, and
    (C) the travel expenses of  any  individual  who  on  his  own  behalf
  volunteers his personal services to any candidate or political committee
  to  the  extent  such  expenses  are unreimbursed and do not exceed five
  hundred dollars in value.
    10. "transfer" means any exchange of  funds  or  any  thing  of  value
  between political committees authorized by the same candidate and taking
  part solely in his campaign, or any exchange of funds between a party or
  constituted committee and a candidate or any of his authorized political
  committees.
    11.  "election"  means all general, special and primary elections, but
  shall not include elections provided for pursuant to the education  law,
  special  district elections, fire district elections or library district
  elections.