Bill Text: VA SB57 | 2020 | Regular Session | Chaptered


Bill Title: Campaign finance reports; electronic filing requirement, local and constitutional offices.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2020-04-07 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0769) [SB57 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2020-SB57-Chaptered.html

CHAPTER 769
An Act to amend and reenact §§24.2-946.1 and 24.2-947.5 of the Code of Virginia, relating to campaign finance reports; electronic filing requirement; local and constitutional offices.
[S 57]
Approved April 7, 2020

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§24.2-946.1 and 24.2-947.5 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§24.2-946.1. Standards and requirements for electronic preparation and transmittal of campaign finance disclosure reports; database.

A. The State Board shall review or cause to be developed and shall approve standards for the preparation, production, and transmittal by computer or electronic means of campaign finance reports required by this chapter. The State Board may prescribe the method of execution and certification of and the procedures for receiving electronically filed campaign finance reports required by this chapter in the office of the State Board or any local electoral board. The State Board may provide campaign finance report-creation software to filers without charge or at a reasonable cost.

B. The State Board shall accept any campaign finance report filed by candidates for the General Assembly and statewide office by computer or electronic means in accordance with the standards approved by the Board and using software meeting standards approved by it. This information shall be made available to the public promptly by the Board through the Internet.

C. The State Board of Elections shall develop and implement a centralized system to accept reports from any candidate candidates for local or and constitutional office offices. Such reports shall be filed in accordance with, and using software that meets, standards approved by the State Board. The State Board shall promptly notify the general registrar of the locality in which a candidate resides and make the information contained in the report available to the general registrar. In the case of a former candidate who is no longer seeking election but has not yet filed a final report as required by §24.2-948.4, the State Board shall promptly notify the general registrar of the locality in which he sought office and make the information contained in the report available to such general registrar.

D. The State Board shall enter or cause to be entered into a campaign finance database, available to the public through the Internet, the information from required campaign finance reports filed by computer, electronic, or other means by candidates for the General Assembly and statewide office.

E. Other campaign finance reports required by this chapter to be filed by a committee with the State Board or a general registrar, or both, may be filed electronically on terms agreed to by the committee and the Board.

§24.2-947.5. With whom candidates file reports; electronic filing requirement.

A. Candidates for statewide office and for the General Assembly shall file the reports required by this article by computer or electronic means in accordance with the standards approved by the State Board.

B. Candidates for local or constitutional office in any locality with a population of more than 70,000 shall file reports required by this article with the State Board by computer or electronic means in accordance with the standards approved by the State Board. All other candidates for local or constitutional office may file reports required by this article with the State Board by computer or electronic means in accordance with the standards approved by the State Board. Candidates who file by electronic means with the State Board are not and shall not be required to file reports with the general registrar of the locality in which the candidate resides.

C. Except as provided in §24.2-948.1, candidates for any other office who file reports in nonelectronic format shall file with the general registrar of the locality in which the candidate resides.

D. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection B or C, a former candidate who is no longer seeking election but has not yet filed a final report as required by §24.2-948.4 and who files reports in nonelectronic format shall file with the general registrar of the locality in which he sought office.

E. Any report that may be filed with the State Board by mail shall be (i) received by the State Board by the deadline for filing the report or (ii) transmitted to the State Board by telephonic transmission to a facsimile device by the deadline for filing the report with an original copy of the report mailed to the State Board and postmarked by the deadline for filing the report.

2. That the provisions of this act shall become effective on January 1, 2021.

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