2015 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 18 - Louisiana Election Code
RS 18:1495.2 - Campaign treasurers; campaign depositories; expenditures; petty cash fund

§1495.2. Campaign treasurers; campaign depositories; expenditures; petty cash fund

A. The candidate shall be his own campaign treasurer, unless he appoints a campaign treasurer. Candidates also may appoint one or more deputy campaign treasurers. The names and addresses of any campaign treasurer or deputy campaign treasurer so appointed shall be filed with the supervisory committee at the time of the first report following appointment. Changes in appointment shall be reported in the first report after such change.

B.(1) Any person may solicit contributions for or on behalf of a candidate, or sell political paraphernalia, including such items as buttons, flags and literature, or tickets to a testimonial or other fund-raising event, provided that all contribution(s) or proceeds are transmitted directly to the candidate or his designated treasurer or a designated deputy treasurer together with such information as may be required by this Chapter. No candidate or designated treasurer or deputy treasurer shall accept such funds without such information and they shall be responsible under the provisions of this Chapter for any errors and omissions in records or reports for such funds. Any contribution received by a candidate who has appointed a campaign treasurer shall be transferred to the campaign treasurer.

(2) When any person who is not the campaign treasurer or a deputy treasurer of a candidate makes any expenditure for the candidate, he shall transmit directly to the campaign treasurer or a deputy treasurer all information concerning the expenditure required by this Chapter. The candidate and his campaign treasurer, if any, shall be responsible under the provisions of this Chapter for any errors or omissions in the records or reports of such expenditures.

(3) For purposes of all reports required by this Chapter, all contributions received by or transferred to a campaign treasurer or a deputy treasurer of a candidate and all expenditures made by a campaign treasurer or a deputy treasurer of a candidate or by any other person on behalf of the candidate, shall be considered contributions or expenditures of the candidate.

C. Deputy campaign treasurers of a candidate may exercise any of the powers and duties of a campaign treasurer as set forth in this Chapter when specifically authorized to do so by the campaign treasurer and the candidate.

D.(1) The candidate shall designate one or more national or state banks or state or federally chartered savings and loan associations or savings banks, or state or federally chartered credit unions, as his campaign depositories and may invest in a money market mutual fund and designate such fund as a campaign depository. The candidate, his campaign treasurer, and any deputy treasurers shall deposit any contributions received by them into an account or accounts maintained at such depository or depositories. No expenditure shall be made by any candidate, campaign treasurer, deputy treasurer, or any other person on behalf of the candidate, except by check drawn on such account or accounts, except as specifically provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection and Subsection E of this Section. Each check drawn on any such account shall be made payable to a specific person, except a check made payable to petty cash. Each check drawn on such an account shall indicate the objects or services for which such check is drawn and such check shall be maintained as part of the records required by R.S. 18:1495.3. The name and address of each campaign depository so designated shall be filed with the supervisory committee in the first report after such designation. If any additional depositories are designated, they shall be reported in the first report following such designation.

(2) An expenditure may be made by the candidate, campaign treasurer, deputy treasurer, or other authorized person on behalf of the candidate by electronic funds transfer provided that the transfer of funds is to a specific person and that records are maintained as to the objects or services for which such transfer of funds was made. Detailed records of each electronic fund transfer shall be maintained as part of the records required by R.S. 18:1495.3.

E. A candidate may maintain a petty cash fund or funds. A petty cash fund shall be maintained on an imprest system, that is, expenditures may be made in cash from the fund and the fund shall from time to time be restored to its original amount by a transfer of funds from other funds of the candidate of a sum equal to the aggregate of the sums expended from the fund. No expenditure in excess of one hundred dollars shall be made from the petty cash fund and no expenditure shall be made from the petty cash fund for any personal services, except for gratuities paid for the serving of food or drink. No expenditure shall be made from the petty cash fund in violation of R.S. 18:1531. A complete record of petty cash expenditures shall be maintained in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 18:1495.3(D).

Acts 1980, No. 786, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1981; Acts 1985, No. 550, §1, eff. July 12, 1985; Acts 1993, No. 199, §1, eff. June 1, 1993; Acts 1997, No. 863, §1; Acts 2010, No. 577, §1, eff. June 25, 2010.