VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

• Code of Virginia
• Virginia Administrative Code
• Constitution of Virginia
• Charters
• Authorities
• Compacts
• Uncodified Acts
• RIS Users (account required)

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

• Bills & Resolutions
  session legislation
• Bill Summaries
  session summaries
• Reports to the General Assembly
  House and Senate documents
• Legislative Liaisons
  State agency contacts

ACROSS SESSIONS

• Subject Index: Since 1995
• Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
• Summaries: Since 1994

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2014 SESSION

• history | pdf | print version

14102203D
HOUSE BILL NO. 675 Offered January 8, 2014 Prefiled January 7, 2014 A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 24.2-503, 24.2-946.4, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, and 24.2-948.3 of the Code of Virginia, relating to elections; deadlines for candidate and campaign finance filings. ---------- Patron-- Poindexter ---------- Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 24.2-503, 24.2-946.4, as it is currently effective and as it shall become effective, and 24.2-948.3 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 24.2-503. Deadlines for filing required statements; extensions.

The written statements of qualification and economic interests shall be filed by (i) primary candidates not later than the filing deadline for the primary, (ii) all other candidates for city and town offices to be filled at a May general election by 7:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday in March, (iii) candidates in special elections by the time of qualifying as a candidate, and (iv) all other candidates by 7:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday in June.

A statement shall be deemed to be timely filed if it is mailed postage prepaid to the appropriate office by registered or certified mail and if the official receipt therefor, which shall be exhibited on demand, shows mailing within the prescribed time limits.

The State Board may shall not grant an extension of any deadline for filing either or both written statements and shall notify all candidates who have not filed their statements of the extension unless specifically authorized by law. Any extension shall be granted for a fixed period of time of ten days from the date of the mailing of the notice of the extension.

§ 24.2-946.4. (Effective until July 1, 2014) Right to grant extensions in special circumstances.

A. The State Board shall provide instructions to filers for delivery of campaign finance reports within the time periods prescribed by law.

B. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any candidate or treasurer required to file a report pursuant to this chapter shall be entitled to a 72-hour extension of the filing deadline if his spouse, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, or sibling died within the 72 hours before the deadline. The State Board or the local electoral board shall be authorized to grant an extension of the filing deadline for a period not to exceed five days for good cause shown by the filer and found by the Board or board sufficient to justify the granting of the extension.

C. The Secretary of the State Board shall have additional authority to extend a deadline established in this chapter for filing reports in emergency situations that interfere with the timely filing of reports. The extension shall be limited in scope to the areas and times affected by the emergency. The provisions of this subsection shall be applicable only in the case of an emergency declared by the Governor pursuant to Chapter 3.2 (§ 44-146.13 et seq.) of Title 44 or declared by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Governor by executive order as an emergency for the purposes of this subsection.

D. The Secretary of the State Board shall have additional authority to extend a deadline established in this chapter for filing reports for a reasonable period for a candidate who serves as his own campaign treasurer and who is a member of a uniformed service of the United States called to active duty during a reporting period.

E. The State Board shall have authority to extend any deadline applicable to reports required to be filed by computer or electronic means in the event of a failure of the computer or electronic filing system that prevents timely filing. The extension shall not exceed a period of up to five days after restoration of the filing system to operating order.

F. The State Board shall have authority also to grant extensions as provided in §§ 24.2-503 and 24.2-948.3.

§ 24.2-946.4. (Effective July 1, 2014) Right to grant extensions in special circumstances.

A. The State Board shall provide instructions to filers for delivery of campaign finance reports within the time periods prescribed by law.

B. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any candidate or treasurer required to file a report pursuant to this chapter shall be entitled to a 72-hour extension of the filing deadline if his spouse, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, or sibling died within the 72 hours before the deadline. The State Board or the local electoral board shall be authorized to grant an extension of the filing deadline for a period not to exceed five days for good cause shown by the filer and found by the Board or board sufficient to justify the granting of the extension.

C. The Commissioner of Elections shall have additional authority to extend a deadline established in this chapter for filing reports in emergency situations that interfere with the timely filing of reports. The extension shall be limited in scope to the areas and times affected by the emergency. The provisions of this subsection shall be applicable only in the case of an emergency declared by the Governor pursuant to Chapter 3.2 (§ 44-146.13 et seq.) of Title 44 or declared by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Governor by executive order as an emergency for the purposes of this subsection.

D. The Commissioner of Elections shall have additional authority to extend a deadline established in this chapter for filing reports for a reasonable period for a candidate who serves as his own campaign treasurer and who is a member of a uniformed service of the United States called to active duty during a reporting period.

E. The State Board shall have authority to extend any deadline applicable to reports required to be filed by computer or electronic means in the event of a failure of the computer or electronic filing system that prevents timely filing. The extension shall not exceed a period of up to five days after restoration of the filing system to operating order.

F. The State Board shall have authority also to grant extensions as provided in §§ 24.2-503 and 24.2-948.3.

§ 24.2-948.3. Compliance with reporting requirements of campaign finance disclosure act as requirement of candidacy for certain offices.

A. It shall be a requirement of candidacy in any election for statewide office or the General Assembly that the candidate shall have filed the disclosure reports required by this chapter for any election in which he participated as a candidate for any such office and which was held within the five years preceding the date of the election in which he seeks to be a candidate. For the purposes of this section, the candidate shall be presumed to have complied with the candidate disclosure reporting requirements unless (i) the State Board or local electoral board, whichever is appropriate, has notified the candidate, at least 60 days prior to the applicable deadline for him to file his written statement of qualification set out in § 24.2-503, that he has failed to file a required report or reports and (ii) the candidate fails to file the specified report or reports by the applicable deadline for filing his written statement of qualification.

B. The authority of the State Board to grant an extension of the deadline established in § 24.2-503 shall include the authority to grant such extension with respect to the requirements of this section.