Election Law - Campaign Finance Activities - Candidates for State Office

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1405*

HOUSE BILL 1405
G1 6lr2884

By: Delegates Healey, Guyton, Harrison, Holmes, Kaufman, Lehman, Rosenberg,
Ruth, Schmidt, Solomon, Stewart, Terrasa, and Turner
Introduced and read first time: February 13, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Election Law – Campaign Finance Activities – Candidates for State Office 2

FOR the purpose of prohibiting a candidate for certain State offices and a person acting on 3
behalf of a candidate for certain State offices from participating in certain campaign 4
finance activities during a regular session of the General Assembly; and generally 5
relating to the campaign finance activities of candidates for State office. 6

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
Article – Election Law 8
Section 13–235 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13

Article – Election Law 14

13–235. 15

(a) This section applies to the following [officials] INDIVIDUALS: 16

(1) the Governor; 17

(2) the Lieutenant Governor; 18

(3) the Attorney General; 19

(4) the Comptroller; 20
2 HOUSE BILL 1405

(5) the State Treasurer; [and] 1

(6) a member of the General Assembly; AND 2

(7) A CANDIDATE FOR AN OFFICE LISTED IN THIS SUBSECTION. 3

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c), (d), or (e) of this section, during a regular 4
session of the General Assembly an [official] INDIVIDUAL described in subsection (a) of 5
this section, or a person acting on behalf of the [official] INDIVIDUAL, may not, as to a 6
candidate for federal, State, or local office, or a campaign finance entity of the candidate or 7
any other campaign finance entity organized under this title and operated in coordination 8
with a candidate: 9

(1) receive a contribution; 10

(2) conduct a fund–raising event; 11

(3) solicit a contribution; or 12

(4) deposit or use any contribution of money that was not deposited prior 13
to the session. 14

(c) An [official] INDIVIDUAL described in subsection [(a)] (A)(1), (2), (3), (4), 15
(5), OR (6) of this section, or a person acting on behalf of the [official] INDIVIDUAL, is not 16
subject to this section when engaged in activities solely related to the [official’s] 17
INDIVIDUAL’S election to an elective federal or local office for which the [official] 18
INDIVIDUAL is a filed candidate. 19

(d) Under the Public Financing Act, a gubernatorial ticket, during the year of the 20
election only, may accept eligible private contributions and any disbursement of funds by 21
the State Board that is based on the eligible private contributions. 22

(e) An [official] INDIVIDUAL described in subsection (a) of this section, or a 23
person acting on behalf of the [official] INDIVIDUAL, may deposit a contribution during the 24
legislative session if the contribution was made electronically before the start of the session. 25

(f) (1) As to a violation of this section, the campaign finance entity of the 26
[official] INDIVIDUAL in violation is liable for a civil penalty as provided in § 13 –604.1 of 27
this title. 28

(2) A civil penalty imposed under this subsection shall be distributed to the 29
Fair Campaign Financing Fund established under § 15–103 of this article. 30

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 31
October 1, 2026. 32