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Senate committee advances bill to let campaigns pay for personal security with added limits
Summary
The committee released S 33 86, which would codify ELEC guidance allowing campaign funds to cover candidates' security and expand covered household members and staff while adding new limitations; Amanda Haines of the Election Law Enforcement Commission briefed the panel on the regulation it previously adopted (NJAC 19:25-6.11).
The State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation committee released S 33 86 after brief testimony from the Election Law Enforcement Commission.
Amanda Haines, executive director of the Election Law Enforcement Commission, told the committee that “ELEC adopted regulations clarifying the commission's position use of campaign funds for personal security in January 2026,” and cited NJAC 19:25-6.11 as the existing rule that the bill would codify and extend. Haines said the bill “builds on the ELAC regulation and takes it a step further by codifying the permissible use into the campaign act” and includes additional limitations that could later be implemented by rulemaking.
The bill's committee amendments remove a cap on expenditures for physical security equipment and expand allowable uses to include security for any family member residing in the same household and for any member of a candidate or officeholder’s staff, not only campaign staff. Committee members took no questions after Haines's remarks.
On a roll call the clerk recorded Senator Holzapfel voting no and Senators Paulistina, McKeon and Chairman Beach voting yes; the bill was released as amended.
The committee did not set a floor date in this hearing; if signed into law the measure would change how campaign funds may be used for candidates’ and household members’ security and would prompt ELEC rulemaking to align regulations with the statutory language.
