Rule 44.11.702 - DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS CAMPAIGN FUNDS AND PROPERTY(1) Candidates shall dispose of surplus campaign funds within 120 days of filing the closing campaign report required by 13-37-228, MCA. (a) The candidate's closing report shall be filed whenever all debts and obligations are extinguished, the provisions of ARM 44.11.608 are followed, and no further contributions or expenditures will be received or made which relate to the campaign.(b) No closing report needs to be filed following a primary election campaign if the candidate will advance to the general election. (2) "Surplus campaign funds" are those campaign funds remaining when all debts and other obligations of the campaign have been paid or settled, pursuant to ARM 44.11.608, no further campaign contributions will be received, and no further campaign expenditures will be made.(3) Surplus campaign funds will be considered to have been "disposed of" on the date payment or donation of the item of property is made by the candidate or the candidate's committee to a permissible person, entity, or account. (4) The candidate shall be responsible for obtaining a receipt containing the requisite information from all recipients of any surplus campaign funds or property. Payment of surplus campaign funds or property shall be evidenced by a receipt from the recipient containing the following information: (a) the full name and mailing address of the recipient; (b) the date the funds or property were received; (c) the full name of the candidate from whose campaign the funds or property were received; and (d) the exact amount of funds or fair market value of the property received.(5) Those candidates with surplus campaign funds shall file a supplement to the closing campaign report, on a form prescribed by the commissioner, showing the disposition of surplus campaign funds or property. The report shall be accompanied by copies of all receipts required by (4). The supplement shall be filed within 135 days after the closing report is filed.
(6) A candidate or eligible elected official shall abide by the prohibitions on the use of surplus campaign funds specified in 13-37-240, and 13-37-402, MCA, ARM 44.11.703, the provisions of this rule, and the rules in this chapter. (a) For purposes of the restrictions on the disposal of surplus campaign funds and personal or real property set forth in 13-37-240, MCA, "personal benefit" is defined in 13-37-240, MCA. For the purposes of this definition, a candidate's or an eligible elected official's "immediate family" includes any individual related or connected to a candidate or an eligible elected official as specified in 2-2-303, MCA.(b) For purposes of the restrictions on the disposal of surplus campaign funds and personal or real property set forth in 13-37-240, MCA, "campaign" means any effort to support or oppose the nomination or election of a candidate for public office, or to support or oppose passage of a ballot issue. (c) A candidate may not use surplus funds for candidate child-care expenses.(d) Surplus campaign funds, including surplus campaign funds deposited in a constituent services account and any interest accrued as provided in ARM 44.11.710, may only be disbursed as follows: (i) return the funds to the contributors, so long as the refund to contributors will not violate the personal benefit or campaign contribution provisions of 13-37-240 and 13-37-402, MCA, ARM 44.11.703, or the rules in this chapter; (ii) donate the funds and personal or real property to any organization or entity, so long as the use of the funds and personal or real property will not violate the personal benefit or campaign contribution provisions of 13-37-240 and 13-37-402, MCA, ARM 44.11.703, or the rules in this chapter;(iii) an elected official other than an eligible elected official may transfer the funds to an account to serve a public purpose related to the officeholder's public duties, so long as the funds will not result in personal benefit or a contribution to a campaign; (iv) an eligible elected official may transfer the funds to a constituent services account provided for in Title 13, chapter 37, part 4, MCA, and the rules in this chapter; (v) an eligible elected official may retain the personal or real property of the campaign to serve constituents as provided in Title 13, chapter 37, part 4, MCA, and the rules in this chapter.(7) A candidate or an eligible elected official shall not contribute surplus campaign funds to a political committee. However, nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting the contribution of surplus campaign funds to a political party or a political party committee, so long as the funds are not earmarked for a specific campaign.(8) Upon a determination that a candidate made a prohibited disposal of surplus campaign funds, the commissioner may employ any enforcement measures within his or her jurisdiction.Mont. Admin. r. 44.11.702
Transferred from Rule 44.10.335, 2016 MAR p. 28, Eff. 1/9/2016; AMD, 2022 MAR p. 404, Eff. 3/26/2022AUTH: 13-37-114, MCA ; IMP: 13-37-220, 13-37-240, 13-37-402, MCA