2024 Regular Session - Day 44 - HB 595, Rep. DJ Johnson

595 is an update to current campaign Finance regulations and procedures it's the result of consultations with house members senate members house leadership Senate leadership outside interested parties and the Kentucky registry of election Finance the bill includes technical changes changes in compliance and procedural changes Under The Heading of procedural changes changes amendments include changing the applicable KRS from admin for administrative hearings and procedures by kref to K rs3b it adds the term reasonable cause to the definition section of the statute statute which is a protection for us as candidates it makes it legal to use funds from succeeding campaigns to pay for expenses incurred in a previous campaign if the campaigns are for the same office it allows members of the general assembly to use campaign funds to pay legal fees incurred in the performance of our official duties as legislators it eliminates the need to write 10 separate checks equal to the total amount that can be contributed from one campaign fund to another in other words if this bill passes candidates will be able to write one check for the legal maximum amount per candidate per election from their campaign accounts currently that amount is $2,100 and it specifies exactly how State political parties can use campaign funds to pay for maintaining their Campaign Headquarters with respect to compliance there's been some issues with the need to file a letter of intent to raise or spend campaign funds H Bill 595 addresses those concerns by clarifying filing requirements and deadlines some of the penalties for failure to comply with filing requirements have also been strengthened mostly this has been a problem at the local level as I continue the threshold for filing requirements is raised from $3,000 to $5,000 in keeping with other amounts we've raised due to inflation there are clarifications about the disclaimers on signs and other campaign materials there's a change concerning residency requirements for campaign chairman and treasurers for National politic political committees and while the total maximum fine for failure to file a required report remains at $5,000 the daily maximum will now be $200 and as I wrap up the changes found on page 69 are also important to us frankly this may not be exciting for some of us as it defines the audit powers of kref and the penalties for not cooperating with kref if they should have to do an audit however in the spirit of transparency and honesty I believe that kref does need to be able to do their job with respect the candidates who habitually and blatantly or blatantly break C break uh campaign Finance laws and finally in technical changes if you didn't think all that was technical the technical changes include uh in multiple parts of the bill for example clarifying some definitions such as independent expenditure only committees instead of unof authorized committees and there are other technical changes of a similar nature finally there is an emergency Clause concerning the section on multiple checks versus one $2,100 check Mr Speaker if there are no questions I move for passage of House Bill 595 as amended by committee substitute one