SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2008 SESSION


CHAPTER 547
An Act to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-949.6 and 24.2-953.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to campaign finance disclosure; filings by political action committees; penalties.
[H 789]
Approved March 11, 2008

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That §§ 24.2-949.6 and 24.2-953.1 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 24.2-949.6. Filing schedule for political action committees.

A. Political action committees shall file the prescribed campaign finance reports with the State Board in accordance with the applicable provisions of this section. The first filed report shall be complete for the entire period from the time the committee was organized or contributions were received.

B. The reporting requirements shall continue in effect for each committee until a final report is filed.

C. Political action committees shall file the prescribed campaign finance reports as follows:

1. Not later than April 15 complete from the preceding report through March 31;

2. Not later than July 15 complete from the preceding report through June 30;

3. Not later than October 15 complete from the preceding report through September 30; and

4. Not later than January 15 complete from the preceding report through December 31, and then continuing in accordance with this subsection until a final report is filed.

D.  A political action committee that files its statement of organization on or after October 1 and before the November election day in any odd-numbered year shall file with its statement of organization a campaign finance report as provided in § 24.2-949.5 for that year, complete through the date that it files its statement of organization.  After that date and until the November election day, the political action committee shall report any single contribution of $500 or more to the State Board in writing or electronically pursuant to § 24.2-946.1, and the report shall be received by the State Board by 5:00 p.m. on the following day, or for a contribution received on a Saturday, by 5:00 p.m. on the following Monday. However, any such contribution received within the 24 hours prior to the election day shall be reported and a report thereof received on the day prior to the election. Any activity reported pursuant to this subsection shall also be reported on the report required to be filed for activity through December 31.

§ 24.2-953.1. Failure to file the required reports.

A. In the case of a failure to file the statement of organization for a candidate campaign committee or political committee required by this chapter, there shall be a civil penalty not to exceed $500.

B. In the case of the failure to file a required report, the candidate campaign committee or political committee shall be assessed a civil penalty not to exceed $500. In the case of the failure to file a report required pursuant to subsection D of § 24.2-949.6, the political action committee shall be assessed a civil penalty not to exceed $500. In the case of a second or any subsequent such violation pertaining to one election cycle, the candidate campaign committee or political committee shall be assessed a civil penalty of $1,000 for each such failure to file.

C. In the case of a failure to file the report of any large pre-election contribution required by § 24.2-947.9, or a large contribution report required by § 24.2-948, or a report required pursuant to subsection D of § 24.2-949.6, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the violation was willful.