A BILL to amend and reenact § 24.2-947.9 of the Code of Virginia, relating to campaign finance; large pre-election contributions report; election day reporting requirement.
HB1348 amends Virginia’s campaign finance reporting law for large contributions made shortly before an election. The bill keeps the existing special reporting rules for large pre-election donations, but clarifies and tightens the timing for when those reports must be filed and received by election officials. For contributions received in the final days before an election, candidates or their treasurers must file by the next day, with accelerated deadlines for donations received within 24 hours of Election Day and even earlier deadlines for contributions received late on the day before the election.
The bill also extends these rapid reporting requirements to certain party nomination contests that are not decided by primary, such as conventions, mass meetings, caucuses, or other nominating events, when there are at least two candidates competing for the nomination. In those cases, the same pre-election disclosure rules would apply during the 11-day period before the nominating event. The measure is aimed at increasing transparency around late campaign money and ensuring voters and the public have more timely information about large contributions close to Election Day.
If enacted, HB1348 would amend § 24.2-947.9 of the Code of Virginia, changing the filing deadlines for special reports of large contributions and expanding the reporting obligation to certain non-primary nomination processes. It would affect candidates, campaign treasurers, political party nomination contests, and election administrators by requiring faster disclosure and more immediate receipt of reports by the State Board of Elections or local general registrars.
The available record suggests the bill was viewed as a campaign finance transparency measure, but it did not advance out of committee. It failed to report from the House Privileges and Elections Committee on a 5-9 vote with 1 abstention, indicating insufficient support for the substitute version despite the bill’s stated disclosure purpose. No committee transcript is available, so the specific arguments for or against the bill are not documented here.
The main point of contention appears to have been the burden and timing of the new reporting deadlines, especially the requirement for same-day or next-day disclosure of large contributions received immediately before an election. Another likely issue is the extension of these rules to party nomination events outside the primary process, which could raise administrative concerns for parties and candidates. Because there are no transcript excerpts, the precise objections are not recorded, but the committee vote shows the measure did not command majority support.