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Committee hears options on using campaign funds for candidate security; firearms exclusion proposed
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Summary
NCSL and the Secretary of State briefed lawmakers on how states authorize campaign expenditures for candidate security, the tradeoffs of threat verification, and whether to exclude firearms; the Secretary of State recommended a one‑sentence exclusion for firearms.
The committee also focused on statutory design for allowing campaign funds to pay for candidate security. Helen Brewer of the National Conference of State Legislatures summarized recent state activity and design options, and Sean Chien of the Secretary of State's office offered practical recommendations.
Brewer said state approaches vary: some statutes exempt security from general prohibitions on personal use of campaign funds, others affirmatively authorize security spending in statute, and some rely on regulatory guidance from ethics agencies. She told the committee, "There are 22 states that have engaged with this type of law in some way," and said 14 states explicitly authorize security hardware, 16 mention monitoring systems, and 7 reference cybersecurity expenses.
On firearms, Brewer noted states differ: "There are, 8 states that mention whether or not campaign funds can be used to purchase firearms. 7 states prohibit this use of campaign funds." Chien recommended the committee add a short clarifying sentence to Vermont's draft. He said that changing the definition so that "security expenditures do not include firearms or other dangerous weapons" would align the bill with other states that prohibit firearm purchases with campaign funds.
Testimony also covered verification standards. Brewer said some states require law‑enforcement threat verification before authorizing expenditures, while others allow candidates to act without verification to respond quickly to emergent threats; each approach carries tradeoffs between oversight and speed.
Administrative matters discussed included whether limits or subcategory caps should be inserted, procurement restrictions (for example, prohibitions on paying family members), how security items purchased during campaigns are treated once a candidate is elected, and whether campaign reporting forms would need new dropdown categories. Chien said the Secretary of State's office supports making the bill effective on passage to provide stability for 2026 elections and that staff could update reporting guidance and forms.
No formal amendments or votes were taken during this session; committee staff will continue refining statutory language and may return with drafting options that reflect the tradeoffs described by witnesses.
