HB1496 • 2026

Campaign finance; reviews of campaign finance reports and records, report.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-948.5 of the Code of Virginia, relating to campaign finance; reviews of campaign finance reports and records; Department of Elections reporting deadline.</p>

Elections

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Bulova
Last action: 2026-02-18
Official status: Failed
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Campaign Finance Review Rules

This bill changes how campaign finance reports are reviewed by the Virginia Department of Elections, setting deadlines and requirements for reporting.

What This Bill Does

Gives the Department authority to check if campaign money matches what candidates report.
Requires the Department to review a certain number of campaign committees after general elections.
Sets rules on how many campaign committees must be reviewed based on office type.
Exempts small campaigns from reviews if they received less than $25,000 in contributions.
Requires the Department to report findings by October 1st each year.

Who It Names or Affects

Campaign committees and candidates who run for statewide offices.
The Virginia Department of Elections which must review campaign finance reports.

Terms To Know

campaign committee: A group that manages a candidate's money during an election.
Department of Elections: The agency in Virginia responsible for overseeing elections and campaign finance rules.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify what happens if the Department does not have enough funds to review all required committees.
Does not provide details on how exemptions are determined or enforced.
Does not explain consequences for failing to comply with reporting deadlines.

Bill History

2026-02-18 House
Left in Committee Appropriations
2026-02-06 Privileges and Elections
Reported from Privileges and Elections and referred to Appropriations (22-Y 0-N)
2026-02-03 Campaigns and Candidates
Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N)
2026-02-03 House
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1496)
2026-02-02 Campaigns and Candidates
Assigned HPE sub: Campaigns and Candidates
2026-01-23 House
Presented and ordered printed 26106130D
2026-01-23 Privileges and Elections
Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections

Official Summary Text

Campaign finance; reviews of campaign finance reports and records; Department of Elections reporting deadline.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

A BILL to amend and reenact §
24.2-948.5
of the Code of Virginia, relating to campaign finance; reviews of campaign finance reports and records; Department of Elections reporting deadline.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §
24.2-948.5
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§
24.2-948.5
. Reviews of campaign finance reports and records.

A. The Department shall have the authority to review the reports and records of the campaign committees. The purposes of the review shall be to (i) reconcile the balance in the campaign depository with the amounts reported in the candidate's reports of receipts and expenditures and (ii) review the reports for mathematical accuracy and facial completeness including the reporting of specific information required by law. In the performance of its review, the Department is authorized to request the production of monthly bank statements for, and copies of checks issued on, campaign depositories and itemized bills, invoices, and receipts for any expenditure of campaign funds in an amount greater than $500.

B. The Department shall review the reports and records of the campaign committees within 180 days following the general election. The Department shall review the reports and records of all of the campaign committees for candidates, including losing primary candidates, for statewide office; 10 percent of the campaign committees for candidates, including losing primary candidates, for the Senate and House of Delegates; and one percent of candidates, including losing primary candidates, for all other offices in any year in which such offices are elected. The State Board shall meet publicly to select the campaign committees to be reviewed by a drawing that ensures selection on a random basis.

C. No review shall be conducted of a campaign committee for any office that has received less than $25,000 in contributions during the campaign, including the transfer of surplus funds from a prior campaign. Campaign committees for candidates that are exempt from review pursuant to this subsection shall not be included in the drawing provided for in subsection B or counted in determining the number that equals the relevant percentage of the campaign committees to be reviewed.

D. In the performance of its duties under this section, the Department may employ the services of additional personnel to the extent that appropriated funds are available to the Department for such purpose.

E. The Department shall make a report of the results of its reviews available to the State Board, the Governor, and the General Assembly by
July 1
October 1
of each year following the election year for the office to which the review pertains and the same shall be posted to the Department's website.