Assembly Bill A685

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    685
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of A. STECK, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, SIMONE, WOERNER -- read
   once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
 
 AN ACT to amend the election law, in  relation  to  the  disposition  of
   campaign funds raised by an elected official who has been convicted of
   a  crime  committed  while  in public office or has been impeached and
   convicted or has resigned
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section 14-132 of the election law is amended by adding a
 new subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
   1-A. NO ELECTED OFFICIAL WHO HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF A  CRIME  COMMITTED
 WHILE  IN PUBLIC OFFICE, OR WHO HAS BEEN IMPEACHED AND CONVICTED, OR WHO
 RESIGNED SUCH OFFICIAL'S PUBLIC OFFICE FOLLOWING FINDINGS BY EITHER  THE
 ATTORNEY GENERAL OR A COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATURE THAT THE OFFICIAL HAS
 VIOLATED  THE  LAW,  SHALL  EXPEND  ANY CAMPAIGN FUNDS RAISED WHILE SUCH
 OFFICIAL HELD SUCH SAME PUBLIC OFFICE IN SUPPORT OF  ANY  CANDIDATE  FOR
 PUBLIC  OFFICE  OR  ANY  ISSUE IN ANY CAMPAIGN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE IN THIS
 STATE.   PROVIDED, HOWEVER,  THAT  NOTHING  IN  THIS  SUBDIVISION  SHALL
 PROHIBIT  SUCH  FORMER  OFFICEHOLDER  FROM RAISING AND SPENDING MONEY IN
 SUPPORT OF POLITICAL ACTIVITIES IN AN ACCOUNT THAT DID NOT EXIST AT  THE
 TIME  SUCH  OFFICIAL  HELD  OFFICE,  UNLESS  BARRED FROM DOING SO BY ANY
 SENTENCE FOR A CRIME OR IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE. WHERE SUCH ELECTED OFFICIAL
 OR ELECTED OFFICIAL'S AUTHORIZED COMMITTEE  RECEIVED  CAMPAIGN  CONTRIB-
 UTIONS,  ALL  SUCH  FUNDS  SHALL  BE DISPOSED OF BY ANY OF THE FOLLOWING
 MEANS, OR ANY COMBINATION THEREOF, WITHIN TWO  YEARS  OF  CONVICTION  OR
 RESIGNATION:
   (A)  RETURNING,  PRO RATA, TO EACH CONTRIBUTOR THE FUNDS THAT HAVE NOT
 BEEN SPENT OR OBLIGATED;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02414-01-5
 A. 685                              2
              

 
   (B) DONATING THE FUNDS TO A CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION  OR  ORGANIZATIONS
 THAT MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS OF SECTION 501(C)(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVEN-
 UE CODE;
   (C) DONATING THE FUNDS TO THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK OR THE CITY
 UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK; OR
   (D) DONATING THE FUNDS TO THE STATE'S GENERAL FUND.
   §  2. Subdivision 2 of section 14-132 of the election law, as added by
 section 2 of part C of chapter 286 of the laws of 2016,  is  amended  to
 read as follows:
   2. No [such candidate's] authorized political committee ON BEHALF OF A
 CANDIDATE  AS  DESCRIBED  BY  SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION OR ELECTED
 OFFICIAL DESCRIBED BY SUBDIVISION ONE-A OF THIS SECTION shall dispose of
 campaign funds by making expenditures for personal  use  as  defined  in
 section 14-130 of this article.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.