HOUSE BILL NO. 244 Offered January 9, 2008 Prefiled December 28, 2007 A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-946.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to campaign finance reports; custody and retention requirements. ---------- Patron-- O'Bannon ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 24.2-946.2 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 24.2-946.2. Custody of reports; inspection and copying.

A. All campaign finance reports shall be open to inspection by any person during the business hours of the office in which they are filed. Copies shall be produced for any person requesting them who shall pay the reasonable cost of the copies. Copies of such reports certified by the principal administrative officer in whose office they are kept shall be evidence in all courts to the same extent as the original report would be if produced and proved.

B. The following applies to campaign finance reports filed by candidate campaign committees:

1. Every officer or local electoral board, with whom reports are required to be filed by this chapter, shall file and preserve such reports and keep them as part of the office's records for at least one year after the final report is filed, or through the next general election for the office to which they pertain, whichever is later; or in the case of a candidate who has not filed a final report and seeks election to the same office in a successive election, through the next general election for the office to which they pertain; or so long as the candidate continuously remains in the same or any other elected office and for at least one year after his last final report is filed, or through the next general election for the last office held by the candidate, whichever is later.

2. The State Board shall file and preserve as part of its records the reports required to be filed with it by this chapter for at least one year after the final report is filed, or through the next general election for the office to which they pertain, whichever is later; or in the case of a candidate who has not filed a final report and seeks election to the same office in a successive election, through the next general election for the office to which they pertain. Thereafter, the State Board shall forward the reports it preserves to The Library of Virginia for preservation under the Virginia Public Records Act (§ 42.1-76 et seq.).

C. The following applies to campaign finance reports filed by political committees:

1. Every officer or local electoral board, with whom reports are required to be filed by this chapter, shall file and preserve such reports as part of the office's records for at least four years after the reporting deadline or one year after the final report is filed.

2. The State Board shall file and preserve as part of its records the reports required to be filed with it by this chapter for at least four years after the reporting deadline or one year after the final report is filed. Thereafter, the State Board shall forward the reports it preserves to The Library of Virginia for preservation under the Virginia Public Records Act (§ 42.1-76 et seq.).