Committee hears bill to require closure of dormant campaign accounts within 90 days after second subsequent general election

A Kansas Senate committee on [date not specified] heard testimony on Senate Bill 40, introduced by Senator Schellenberger, that would require state and local campaign accounts to be terminated within 90 days after the date of the second subsequent general election in which the person was not elected and to disperse remaining funds to a charitable organization, a party, or as refunds to contributors. The bill cites an existing statute on the permissible dispersal of campaign finances (referred to in testimony as “KSA 20 five-forty one-fifty 7 A”) and would take effect on July 1, 2025 if enacted.

The measure was presented in briefing remarks by Charles (staff member), and supported by testimony from Caitlin Bull Stewart, General Counsel for the Kansas campaign finance commission, and Rob Filian of RFK Consulting LLC. Caitlin Bull Stewart said, "The commission had supported the ideology behind this of requiring the termination of campaign accounts in its annual report in both 2023 and 2024," and described longstanding compliance and tracking problems caused by accounts that remain open for many years. Rob Filian told the committee he…