VA SB377 | 2024 | Regular Session
Status
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: Engrossed on February 5 2024 - 50% progression
Action: 2024-02-28 - Continued to 2025 in Appropriations by voice vote
Pending: House Appropriations Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Prefiled) [HTML]
Status: Engrossed on February 5 2024 - 50% progression
Action: 2024-02-28 - Continued to 2025 in Appropriations by voice vote
Pending: House Appropriations Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Prefiled) [HTML]
Summary
Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations similar to those promulgated by the Federal Election Commission to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections. Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds; complaints, hearings, civil penalty, and advisory opinions. Prohibits any person from converting contributions to a candidate or his campaign committee to personal use. Current law only prohibits such conversion of contributions with regard to disbursement of surplus funds at the dissolution of a campaign or political committee. The bill provides that a contribution is considered to have been converted to personal use if the contribution, in whole or in part, is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense that would exist irrespective of the person's seeking, holding, or maintaining public office but allows a contribution to be used for the ordinary and accepted expenses related to campaigning for or holding elective office, including the use of campaign funds to pay for the candidate's child care expenses that are incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. The bill provides that any person subject to the personal use ban may request an advisory opinion from the State Board of Elections on such matters. The bill directs the State Board of Elections to adopt emergency regulations similar to those promulgated by the Federal Election Commission to implement the provisions of the bill and to publish an updated summary of Virginia campaign finance law that reflects the State Board of Elections' and Attorney General's guidance on the provisions of such law that prohibit the personal use of campaign funds and any new regulations promulgated by the State Board of Elections.
Title
Campaign finance; prohibited personal use of campaign funds, complaints, hearings, civil penalty.
Sponsors
Roll Calls
2024-02-23 - House - House: Reported from Privileges and Elections (22-Y 0-N) (Y: 22 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2024-02-06 - Senate - Senate: Read third time and passed Senate (35-Y 4-N) (Y: 35 N: 4 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]
2024-02-01 - Senate - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (Y: 40 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2024-01-31 - Senate - Senate: Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) (Y: 15 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2024-01-23 - Senate - Senate: Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments (13-Y 1-N) (Y: 13 N: 1 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2024-02-06 - Senate - Senate: Read third time and passed Senate (35-Y 4-N) (Y: 35 N: 4 NV: 0 Abs: 1) [PASS]
2024-02-01 - Senate - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (Y: 40 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2024-01-31 - Senate - Senate: Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) (Y: 15 N: 0 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
2024-01-23 - Senate - Senate: Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments (13-Y 1-N) (Y: 13 N: 1 NV: 0 Abs: 0) [PASS]
History
| Date | Chamber | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-02-28 | House | Continued to 2025 in Appropriations by voice vote |
| 2024-02-23 | House | Referred to Committee on Appropriations |
| 2024-02-23 | House | Reported from Privileges and Elections (22-Y 0-N) |
| 2024-02-13 | House | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
| 2024-02-13 | House | Read first time |
| 2024-02-13 | House | Placed on Calendar |
| 2024-02-06 | Senate | Read third time and passed Senate (35-Y 4-N) |
| 2024-02-05 | Senate | Engrossed by Senate |
| 2024-02-05 | Senate | Committee amendments rejected |
| 2024-02-05 | Senate | Read second time |
| 2024-02-02 | Senate | Passed by for the day |
| 2024-02-02 | Senate | Passed by temporarily |
| 2024-02-01 | Senate | Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) |
| 2024-01-31 | Senate | Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) |
| 2024-01-23 | Senate | Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations |
| 2024-01-23 | Senate | Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments (13-Y 1-N) |
| 2024-01-09 | Senate | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
| 2024-01-09 | Senate | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24104850D |
Subjects
Code Citations
| Chapter | Article | Section | Citation Type | Statute Text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 3711 | (n/a) | See Bill Text |
| 24 | 2 | 946 | (n/a) | See Bill Text |
| 24 | 2 | 948.4 | (n/a) | See Bill Text |
| 24 | 2 | 948.6 | (n/a) | See Bill Text |
| 24 | 2 | 948.7 | (n/a) | See Bill Text |
| 24 | 2 | 948.8 | (n/a) | See Bill Text |
