CAMPAIGN FINANCE – Amends existing law to require all contributions and loans to a candidate or political committee to be deposited into a separate campaign account, to prohibit commingling of funds, and to require loans from a candidate to such candidate’s campaign to be reported to the Secretary of State.

LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE
BILL
NO.
598
BY
STATE
AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
CAMPAIGN
FINANCE;
AMENDING
SECTION
67
-
6604,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
RE
-
2
VISE
PROVISIONS
REGARDING
ACCOUNTS
OF
POLITICAL
TREASURER;
AND
DECLAR
-
3
ING
AN
EMERGENCY
AND
PROVIDING
AN
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
4
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
5
SECTION
1.
That
Section
67
-
6604,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
hereby
6
amended
to
read
as
follows:
7
67
-
6604.
ACCOUNTS
OF
POLITICAL
TREASURER.
(1)
All
campaign
contribu
-
8
tions,
including
any
personal
funds
or
loans
from
a
candidate,
shall
be
de
-
9
posited
into
a
campaign
account
established
exclusively
for
the
candidate
10
or
political
committee.
No
personal
funds
of
a
candidate
or
any
other
per
-
1
1
son
shall
be
commingled
with
any
contributions
received
by
the
candidate
or
12
political
committee.
The
political
treasurer
for
each
candidate
or
polit
-
13
ical
committee
shall
maintain
such
account
separately
from
any
personal
or
14
business
accounts
and
shall
report
all
contributions,
deposits,
and
expen
-
15
ditures
therefrom
in
accordance
with
this
chapter.
The
political
treasurer
16
for
each
candidate
or
political
committee
shall
keep
detailed
accounts,
cur
-
17
rent
within
not
more
than
seven
(7)
days
after
the
date
of
receiving
the
con
-
18
tribution
or
making
an
expenditure,
of
all
contributions
received
and
all
19
expenditures
made
by
or
on
behalf
of
the
candidate
or
political
committee
20
that
are
required
to
be
set
forth
in
a
statement
filed
under
this
chapter.
21
A
candidate
who
makes
a
loan
of
personal
funds
to
the
candidate's
own
cam
-
22
paign
shall
deposit
the
full
amount
of
the
loan
into
the
candidate's
campaign
23
account.
The
candidate
shall,
within
seven
(7)
days
of
making
the
deposit,
24
file
with
the
secretary
of
state
a
written
report
certifying
that
the
loan
25
was
deposited,
stating
the
exact
amount
of
the
loan,
and
identifying
the
fi
-
26
nancial
institution
where
the
funds
were
deposited.
27
(2)
Accounts
kept
by
the
political
treasurer
for
a
candidate
or
politi
-
28
cal
committee
may
be
inspected
before
the
election
to
which
the
accounts
re
-
29
fer
by
the
secretary
of
state,
or
county
clerk
for
local
government
offices
30
or
measures,
or
his
agent
or
employee,
who
is
making
an
investigation
pur
-
31
suant
to
section
67
-
6615,
Idaho
Code.
32
(3)
Accounts
kept
by
a
political
treasurer
shall
be
preserved
by
him
for
33
at
least
one
(1)
year
after
the
date
of
the
election
to
which
the
accounts
re
-
34
fer
or
at
least
one
(1)
year
after
the
date
the
last
statement
is
filed
under
35
section
67
-
6607,
Idaho
Code,
whichever
is
later.
36
SECTION
2.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
37
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
38
July
1,
2026.
39