What's happening
This bill prohibits convicted, impeached, or resigned officials from using campaign funds for political purposes and requires specific disposal of remaining funds.
Why it matters
Closes loopholes for disgraced officials. By barring convicted, impeached, or resigned officials from using their old campaign funds to influence future elections or ballot measures, the bill aims to prevent individuals who have lost public trust from continuing to exert political influence with money raised while in office.
Mandates transparent, ethical disposal of campaign cash. The bill requires that leftover campaign funds must be returned to donors, donated to recognized charities, given to public universities, or sent to the state’s general fund, reducing the risk of misuse or personal enrichment after an official leaves office under a cloud.
Establishes a clear timeline and accountability. The two-year deadline for disposing of campaign funds ensures that unspent contributions are dealt with promptly, increasing transparency and making it harder for former officials to delay or obscure the process.
Limits future political maneuvering. While it still allows former officials to engage in political activity through new accounts (unless specifically barred), the law ensures that money raised during their prior tenure cannot be used as a springboard for future campaigns or to support others, reinforcing consequences for misconduct in office.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Limit Politicians’ Campaign Fund Use
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to election law
- Referred to election law
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
685
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. STECK, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, SIMONE, WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the disposition of campaign funds raised by an elected official who has been convicted of a crime committed while in public office or has been impeached and convicted or has resigned
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 14-132 of the election law is amended by adding a new subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
1-a. No elected official who has been convicted of a crime committed while in public office, or who has been impeached and convicted, or who resigned such official's public office following findings by either the attorney general or a committee of the legislature that the official has violated the law, shall expend any campaign funds raised while such official held such same public office in support of any candidate for public office or any issue in any campaign for public office in this state. Provided, however, that nothing in this subdivision shall prohibit such former officeholder from raising and spending money in support of political activities in an account that did not exist at the time such official held office, unless barred from doing so by any sentence for a crime or impeachable offense. Where such elected official or elected official's authorized committee received campaign contributions, all such funds shall be disposed of by any of the following means, or any combination thereof, within two years of conviction or resignation:
(a) returning, pro rata, to each contributor the funds that have not been spent or obligated;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02414-01-5
(b) donating the funds to a charitable organization or organizations that meet the qualifications of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
(c) donating the funds to the state university of New York or the city university of New York; or
(d) donating the funds to the state's general fund.
§ 2. Subdivision 2 of section 14-132 of the election law, as added by section 2 of part C of chapter 286 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
2. No [such candidate's] authorized political committee on behalf of a candidate as described by subdivision one of this section or elected official described by subdivision one-a of this section shall dispose of campaign funds by making expenditures for personal use as defined in section 14-130 of this article.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.