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H7495A
2026 -- H 7495 SUBSTITUTE A
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LC004553/SUB A
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- RHODE ISLAND CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND
EXPENDITURES REPORTING
Introduced By:
Representatives Boylan, Tanzi, Baginski, Kazarian, Ajello, Stewart,
McGaw, Dawson, Messier, and Furtado
Date Introduced:
February 04, 2026
Referred To:
House State Government & Elections
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 17-25-7.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-25 entitled "Rhode
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Island Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Reporting" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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17-25-7.2. Personal use of campaign funds prohibited.
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(a) The personal use by any elected public office holder or by any candidate for public
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office, as defined in § 17-25-3, of campaign funds contributed after April 29, 1992, is prohibited.
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For the purposes of this section, “personal use” is defined as any use other than expenditures related
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to gaining or holding public office and for which the candidate for public office or elected public
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official would be required to treat the amount of the expenditure as gross income under § 61 of the
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Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. § 61, or any subsequent corresponding Internal Revenue
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Code of the United States, as from time to time amended.
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(b) Expenditures that are specifically prohibited under this chapter include:
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(1) Any residential or household items, supplies, or expenditures, including mortgage, rent,
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or utility payments for any part of any personal residence of a candidate or officeholder or a member
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of the candidate’s or officeholder’s family;
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(2) Mortgage, rent, or utility payments for any part of any nonresidential property that is
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owned by a candidate or officeholder or a member of a candidate’s or officeholder’s family and
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used for campaign purposes, to the extent the payments exceed the fair-market value of the property
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usage;
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(3) Funeral, cremation, or burial expenses, including any expenses related to deaths within
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a candidate’s or officeholder’s family;
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(4) Clothing, other than items of de minimis value that are used in the campaign;
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(5) Tuition payments;
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(6) Dues, fees, or gratuities at a country club, health club, recreational facility or other
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nonpolitical organization, unless they are part of a specific fundraising event that takes place on the
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organization’s premises;
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(7) Salary payments to a member of a candidate’s family, unless the family member is
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providing bona fide services to the campaign. If a family member provides bona fide services to a
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campaign, any salary payments in excess of the fair-market value of the services provided is
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personal use;
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(8) Admission to a sporting event, concert, theater, or other form of entertainment, unless
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part of a specific campaign or officeholder activity;
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(9) Payment of any fines, fees, or penalties assessed pursuant to this chapter.
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(c) Any expense that results from campaign or officeholder activity is permitted use of
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campaign funds. Such expenditures may include:
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(1) The defrayal of ordinary and necessary expenses of a candidate or officeholder;
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(2) Office expenses and equipment, provided the expenditures and the use of the equipment
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can be directly attributable to the campaign or the officeholder’s duties and responsibilities;
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(3) Donations to charitable organizations, provided the candidate or officeholder does not
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personally benefit from the donation or receive compensation from the recipient organization;
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(4) Travel expenses for an officeholder, provided that the travel is undertaken as an
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ordinary and necessary expense of seeking, holding, or maintaining public office, or seeking,
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holding, or maintaining a position within the legislature or other publicly elected body. If a
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candidate or officeholder uses campaign funds to pay expenses associated with travel that involves
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both personal activities and campaign or officeholder activities, the incremental expenses that result
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from the personal activities are personal use, unless the person(s) benefiting from this use
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reimburse(s) the campaign account within thirty (30) days for the amount of the incremental
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expenses;
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(5) Gifts of nominal value and donations of a nominal amount made on a special occasion
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such as a holiday, graduation, marriage, retirement, or death, unless made to a member of the
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candidate’s or officeholder’s family;
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(6) Meal expenses that are incurred as part of a campaign activity or as a part of a function
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that is related to the candidate’s or officeholder’s responsibilities, including meals between and
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among candidates and/or officeholders that are incurred as an ordinary and necessary expense of
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seeking, holding, or maintaining public office, or seeking, holding, or maintaining a position within
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the legislature or other publicly elected body;
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(7) Food and beverages that are purchased as part of a campaign or officeholder activity;
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(8) Communication access expenses that are incurred as part of a campaign activity and
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operation to ensure that deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens are fully participating, are volunteers,
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and/or are otherwise maintaining a position with the campaign committee. Examples of
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communication access expenses include, but are not limited to, the following: captioning on
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television advertisements; video clips; sign language interpreters; computer-aided real-time
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(CART) services; and assistive listening devices;
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(9) Childcare expenses that are incurred as a result of campaign activity or the
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officeholder’s responsibilities
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; and
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(10) Home or office security expenses which may include:
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(i) The purchase, installation, maintenance, and upgrade of physical security equipment
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including, surveillance cameras, door access controls, locks, alarms, motion detectors; and
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(ii) Monitoring and other services, including maintenance, directly associated with such
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physical security equipment.
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(d) Any campaign funds not used to pay for the expenses of gaining or holding public office
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may:
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(1) Be maintained in a campaign account(s);
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(2) Be donated to a candidate for public office, to a political organization, or to a political
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action committee, subject to the limitation on contributions in § 17-25-10.1;
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(3) Be transferred, in whole or in part, into a newly established political action committee
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or ballot question advocate;
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(4) Be donated to a tax-exempt charitable organization as that term is used in § 501(c)(3)
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of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. § 501, or any subsequent, corresponding internal
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revenue code of the United States as from time to time amended;
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(5) Be donated to the state of Rhode Island; or
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(6) Be returned to the donor; provided, however:
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(e) Any funds remaining in a campaign account(s) of a candidate or officeholder, or former
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candidate or former officeholder, who dies, after repayment of loans and accounts payable, shall
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be disposed, in accordance with the instructions in writing, on a form prescribed by the board of
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elections, which funds may:
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(1) Be donated to a candidate for public office, to a political organization, or to a political
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action committee, subject to the limitation on contributions in § 17-25-10.1;
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(2) Be transferred, in whole or in part, into a newly established political action committee
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or ballot question advocate;
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(3) Be donated to a tax-exempt charitable organization as that term is used in § 501(c)(3)
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of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. § 501, or any subsequent, corresponding internal
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revenue code of the United States as from time to time amended; or
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(4) Be returned to the donor.
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(5) The candidate’s or officeholder’s, or former candidate’s or former officeholder’s,
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campaign account(s) shall be dissolved by the board of elections;
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(6) Any penalties assessed to the candidate or officeholder, or former candidate or former
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officeholder, that are outstanding at the time of their death shall be waived by the board of elections.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- RHODE ISLAND CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND
EXPENDITURES REPORTING
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This act would authorize the use of campaign funds for security related expenses, including
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home or office security systems and ongoing monitoring services.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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