wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 2333 > Second Substitute
"Personal security measures" may include, but are not limited to:
Nonstructural security devices, such as security hardware, locks, alarm systems, motion detectors, security camera systems, and subscriptions for security systems;
Structural security devices, such as wiring, lighting, gates, doors, and fencing, so long as such devices are intended solely to provide security and not to improve the property or increase its value;
Security personnel and services that are bona fide, legitimate, professional, and provided by a person licensed under chapter 18.170 RCW; and
Cybersecurity software, devices, and services, including those services that remove residential addresses from existing websites, and credit monitoring and identity theft monitoring services.
The surplus funds of a candidate or a candidate's authorized committee may only be disposed of in any one or more of the following ways:
Return the surplus to a contributor in an amount not to exceed that contributor's original contribution;
Using surplus, reimburse the candidate for lost earnings incurred as a result of that candidate's election campaign. Lost earnings shall be verifiable as unpaid salary or, when the candidate is not salaried, as an amount not to exceed income received by the candidate for services rendered during an appropriate, corresponding time period. All lost earnings incurred shall be documented and a record thereof shall be maintained by the candidate or the candidate's authorized committee. The committee shall maintain a copy of this record in accordance with RCW 29B.25.090(6);
Transfer the surplus without limit to a political party or to a caucus political committee;
Donate the surplus to a charitable organization registered in accordance with chapter 19.09 RCW;
Transmit the surplus to the state treasurer for deposit in the general fund, the Washington state legacy project, state library, and archives account under RCW 43.07.380, or the legislative international trade account under RCW 43.15.050, as specified by the candidate or political committee; or
Hold the surplus in the depository or depositories designated in accordance with RCW 29B.25.050 for possible use in a future election campaign for the same office last sought by the candidate and report any such disposition in accordance with RCW 29B.25.100. If the candidate subsequently announces or publicly files for office, the appropriate information must be reported to the commission in accordance with RCW 29B.25.020 through 29B.25.100. If a subsequent office is not sought the surplus held shall be disposed of in accordance with the requirements of this section.
[Empty]
For the purposes of this subsection, a public office-related expense includes, but is not limited to, direct out-of-pocket expenses made by the candidate or elected official for personal security measures, as defined in section 1 of this act, that are necessary to address dangers or threats that would not exist but for the individual's status as a candidate or elected official, provided that the personal security measure is reasonably proportional in scope to the level of danger or threat that exists for the candidate or elected official. Surplus campaign funds may not be used to reimburse a candidate or elected official for payments made to the individual's spouse or registered domestic partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, parent-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nephew, niece, aunt, uncle, first cousin, or the spouse of any such persons, or an entity in which any person described in this subsection has a personal beneficial interest.
ii. Disbursements for personal security measures must be for the usual and normal charge for such goods or services. "Usual and normal charge" means, in the case of goods, the price of those goods in the market in which they are ordinarily purchased and, in the case of services, the hourly or piecework charge for the services at a commercially reasonable rate prevailing at the time the services were rendered.
No candidate or authorized committee may transfer funds to any other candidate or other political committee.
The disposal of surplus funds under this section shall not be considered a contribution for purposes of this title.
Contributions received and reported in accordance with RCW 29B.25.060 through 29B.25.100 and 29B.40.080 may only be paid to a candidate, or a treasurer or other individual or expended for such individual's personal use under the following circumstances:
Reimbursement for or payments to cover lost earnings incurred as a result of campaigning or services performed for the political committee. Lost earnings shall be verifiable as unpaid salary, or when the individual is not salaried, as an amount not to exceed income received by the individual for services rendered during an appropriate, corresponding time period. All lost earnings incurred shall be documented and a record shall be maintained by the candidate or the candidate's authorized committee in accordance with RCW 29B.25.090.
Reimbursement for direct out-of-pocket election campaign and postelection campaign related expenses made by the individual. For example, expenses for child care or other direct caregiving responsibilities may be reimbursed if they are incurred directly as a result of the candidate's campaign activities. To receive reimbursement from the political committee, the individual shall provide the political committee with written documentation as to the amount, date, and description of each expense, and the political committee shall include a copy of such information when its expenditure for such reimbursement is reported pursuant to RCW 29B.25.100.
Repayment of loans made by the individual to political committees shall be reported pursuant to RCW 29B.25.100. However, contributions may not be used to reimburse a candidate for loans totaling more than four thousand seven hundred dollars made by the candidate to the candidate's own authorized committee.
[Empty]
Reimbursement for direct out-of-pocket expenses made by a candidate or an elected official for personal security measures, as defined in section 1 of this act, that are necessary to address dangers or threats that would not exist but for the individual's status or duties as a candidate or an elected official, provided that the personal security measure is reasonably proportional in scope to the level of danger or threat that exists for the candidate or elected official. Campaign funds may not be used to reimburse a candidate or an elected official for payments made to the individual's spouse or registered domestic partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, parent-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nephew, niece, aunt, uncle, or first cousin, or the spouse of any such person, or an entity in which any person described in this subsection has a personal beneficial interest.
Disbursements for personal security measures must be for the usual and normal charge for such goods or services. "Usual and normal charge" means, in the case of goods, the price of those goods in the market in which they are ordinarily purchased and, in the case of services, the hourly or piecework charge for the services at a commercially reasonable rate prevailing at the time the services were rendered.