Prohibits the use of campaign funds to pay attorney's fees or any costs for the actual defense of a candidate, public or party official, members of their immediate family or domestic partner in connection with a criminal action, investigation, or prosecution; restricts use of such funds for costs related to certain civil actions.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1392
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 11, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sens. BROOKS, ADDABBO, SANDERS -- read twice and ordered
printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
Elections
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to the use of campaign
funds to pay attorney's fees
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraphs (x) and (xi) of subdivision 3 of section 14-130
2 of the election law, paragraph (x) as amended and paragraph (xi) as
3 added by chapter 136 of the laws of 2019, are amended and a new para-
4 graph (xii) is added to read as follows:
5 (x) travel expenses including automobile purchases or leases, unless
6 used for campaign purposes or in connection with the execution of the
7 duties of public office or party position and usage of such vehicle
8 which is incidental to such purposes or the execution of such duties;
9 [and]
10 (xi) childcare expenses, other than expenses incurred in the campaign
11 or in the execution of the duties of public office or party position[.];
12 and
13 (xii) payment of any attorney's fees or any costs for the actual
14 defense of a candidate, public or party official, members of their imme-
15 diate family, or domestic partner in connection with a criminal action,
16 investigation, or prosecution. Such funds shall only be used exclusive-
17 ly for costs related to civil actions instituted pursuant to article
18 sixteen of this chapter.
19 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
20 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03533-01-1
