HB 6530 Summary

• Establishes "election legal funds" as a new type of political committee that candidates can create to pay attorney's fees and legal costs directly related to election campaigns, electoral processes, or contesting election results, effective January 1, 2012.

• Allows candidates to establish one or more election legal funds in addition to their single candidate committee, with each fund designated for a specific legal case or administrative proceeding.

• Sets contribution limits to election legal funds that vary by office: $3,500 for Governor; $2,000 for statewide offices (Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, etc.); $1,000 for state senator and municipal chief executives; and $250 for state representative and other municipal offices.

• Requires election legal funds to file quarterly financial reports and file a final report within 30 days of the legal proceeding's conclusion; any surplus must be distributed to tax-exempt organizations, returned to contributors on a prorated basis, or transferred to the Citizens' Election Fund.

• Permits candidates in the Citizens' Election Program to establish election legal funds with contributions from any permissible source, not limited to qualifying contributors, and restricts expenditures solely to legal representation costs.