2022 Colorado Code
Title 1 - Elections
Article 45 - Fair Campaign Practices Act
§ 1-45-106. Unexpended Campaign Contributions

(1) (a) (I) Subject to the requirements of section 3 (3)(e) of article XXVIII of the state constitution, unexpended campaign contributions to a candidate committee may be:

(A) Contributed to a political party;

(B) Contributed to a candidate committee established by the same candidate for a different public office, subject to the limitations set forth in section 3 of article XXVIII of the state constitution, if the candidate committee making such a contribution is affirmatively closed by the candidate no later than ten days after the date such a contribution is made;

(C) Donated to a charitable organization recognized by the internal revenue service;

(D) Returned to the contributors, or retained by the committee for use by the candidate in a subsequent campaign.

(II) Except as authorized by section 1-45-103.7 (6.5), in no event shall contributions to a candidate committee be used for personal purposes not reasonably related to supporting the election of the candidate.

(III) A candidate committee for a former officeholder or a person not elected to office shall expend all of the unexpended campaign contributions retained by such candidate committee, for the purposes specified in this subsection (1), no later than nine years from the date such officeholder's term expired or from the date of the election at which such person was a candidate for office, whichever is later.

(b) In addition to any use described in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1), a person elected to a public office may use unexpended campaign contributions held by the person's candidate committee for any of the following purposes:

(I) Voter registration;

(II) Political issue education, which includes obtaining information from or providing information to the electorate;

(III) Postsecondary educational scholarships;

(IV) To defray reasonable and necessary expenses related to mailings and similar communications to constituents;

(V) Any expenses that are directly related to such person's official duties as an elected official, including, but not limited to, expenses for the purchase or lease of office equipment and supplies, room rental for public meetings, necessary travel and lodging expenses for legislative education such as seminars, conferences, and meetings on legislative issues, and telephone and pager expenses.

(2) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2000, p. 123 , § 4, effective March 15, 2000.)

(3) Unexpended contributions to an issue committee may be donated to any charitable organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service or returned to the contributor.

(4) This section shall apply to unexpended campaign contributions transferred from a political committee formed prior to January 15, 1997, to a candidate committee registering after January 15, 1997, pursuant to section 1-45-108.

(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any unexpended campaign contributions retained by a candidate committee for use in a subsequent election cycle shall be counted and reported as contributions from a political party in any subsequent election in accordance with the requirements of section 3 (3)(e) of article XXVIII of the state constitution.

Source: Initiated 96: Entire article R&RE, effective upon proclamation of the Governor, January 15, 1997. L. 98: (1) amended, p. 955, § 3, effective May 27. L. 2000: (1)(a) and (2) amended, p. 123, § 4, effective March 15. L. 2003: IP(1)(a)(I) amended and (5) added, p. 2157, § 2, effective June 3. L. 2010: (1)(a)(I)(B) amended, (SB 10-041), ch. 151, p. 522, § 1, effective July 1. L. 2019: (1)(a)(II) amended, (SB 19-229), ch. 354, p. 3260, § 2, effective September 1.

Editor's note: This section is similar to § 1-45-109 as it existed prior to 1996.