Measure to allow campaign funds for child care expenses glides through first committee hearing
A proposal to let candidates spend campaign funds used for campaign-related childcare expenses if the expense derives from the candidates’ campaigns advanced unanimously on Tuesday in its first hearing before a legislative committee in Tallahassee.
Existing state law prohibits a candidate or spouse of a candidate from using campaign funds to defray living expenses for them or their family other than for transportation, meals, and lodging for the candidate or family member during a campaign.
A 2018 advisory opinion from the Federal Election Commission declared that campaign funds may be used to pay for a candidate’s childcare expenses incurred directly from campaign activity. Since then, 13 states have enacted their own laws allowing candidates running in state and local contests to use financial contributions for campaign-related child-care expenses.
“The campaign’s funds cannot be used for general family living. They have to be directly tied to a campaign-related event, and they can’t cover just routine childcare,” said South Florida Democratic state Sen. Lori Berman in describing the legislation (SB 72) before the Senate Ethics & Elections Committee.
https://floridaphoenix.com/briefs/measure-to-allow-campaign-funds-for-child-care-expenses-glides-through-first-committee-hearing/