HB292: Campaign finance disclosure; exemptions.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 24.2-901 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 24.2-901. Definitions.
A. As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
"Campaign committee" means the committee designated by a candidate to receive all contributions and make all expenditures for him or on his behalf in connection with his nomination or election.
"Contribution" means money and services of any amount, and any other thing of value, given, advanced, loaned, or in any other way provided to a candidate, campaign committee, political committee, inaugural committee, or person for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election or defraying the costs of the inauguration of a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General. "Contribution" includes money, services, or things of value in any way provided by a candidate to his own campaign and the payment by the candidate of any primary filing fee.
"Expenditure" means money and services of any amount, and any other thing of value, paid, loaned, provided, or in any other way disbursed by any candidate, campaign committee, political committee, inaugural committee, or person for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election or defraying the costs of the inauguration of a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General.
"Inaugural committee" means any committee that anticipates receiving contributions or making expenditures, from other than publicly appropriated funds, for the inauguration of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General and related activities.
"Independent expenditure" means an expenditure made by any person or political committee that is not made to, controlled by, coordinated with, or made upon consultation with a candidate, his campaign committee, or an agent of the candidate or his campaign committee.
"Person" means any individual or corporation, partnership, business, labor organization, membership organization, association, cooperative, or other like entity.
"Political action committee" means any organization, other than a campaign committee or political party committee, established or maintained in whole or in part to receive and expend contributions for political purposes.
"Political committee" means any state political party committee, congressional district political party committee, county or city political party committee for a county or city with a population of more than 100,000, organized political party group of elected officials, political action committee, other committee, person or group of persons which receives contributions or makes expenditures for the purpose of influencing the outcome of any election. The term shall not include: (i) a campaign committee; (ii) a political party committee exempted pursuant to § 24.2-911; or (iii) a person who receives no contributions from any source and whose only expenditures are made solely from his own funds and are either contributions made by him which are reportable by the recipient pursuant to Article 4 (§ 24.2-914 et seq.) of this chapter or independent expenditures which are reportable by him to the extent required by subsection B of § 24.2-910, or a combination of such reportable contributions and independent expenditures.
B. For the purpose of applying the filing and reporting requirements of Article 3 (§ 24.2-908 et seq.) and Article 4 of this chapter, the terms "person," "political action committee," and "political committee" shall not include an organization holding tax-exempt status under § 501 (c) (3), 501 (c) (4), or 501 (c) (6) of the United States Internal Revenue Code which, in providing information to voters, does not advocate or endorse the election or defeat of a particular candidate, group of candidates, or the candidates of a particular political party.