EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0575*
SENATE BILL 575
G1 5lr0795
SB 1130/24 – SRU
By: Howard County Senators
Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Howard County – Public Campaign Financing – Board of Education 2
Ho. Co. 3–25 3
FOR the purpose of authorizing the governing body of Howard County to establish a system 4
of public campaign financing for members of the county board of education; and 5
generally relating to public campaign financing in Howard County. 6
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
Article – Election Law 8
Section 13–505 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
Article – Election Law 14
13–505. 15
(a) In this section, “contested election committee” means a contested election 16
committee established under Title 12, Subtitle 3 of this article. 17
(b) (1) (I) Subject to the provisions of this section, the governing body of a 18
county may establish, by law, a system of public campaign financing for elective offices in 19
the executive or legislative branches of county government. 20
(II) SUBJECT TO THE PROVIS IONS OF THIS SECTION , THE 21
GOVERNING BODY OF HOWARD COUNTY MAY ESTABLISH , BY LAW, A SYSTEM OF 22 2 SENATE BILL 575
PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINA NCING FOR MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY BOARD OF 1
EDUCATION. 2
(2) A system of public financing established under paragraph (1) of this 3
subsection may include public financing of a contested election committee. 4
(3) When establishing a system of public campaign financing for [elective 5
offices in the executive or legislative branches of county government] AN OFFICE UNDER 6
PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION , the governing body of a county shall: 7
(i) specify the criteria that are to be used to determine whether an 8
individual is eligible for public campaign financing; and 9
(ii) provide the funding and staff necessary for the operation, 10
administration, and auditing of the system of public campaign financing. 11
(c) A system of public campaign financing enacted under subsection (b) of this 12
section: 13
(1) shall provide for participation of candidates in public campaign 14
financing on a strictly voluntary basis; 15
(2) may not regulate candidates who choose not to participate in public 16
campaign financing; 17
(3) shall prohibit the use of public campaign financing for any campaign 18
except a campaign for [county] LOCAL elective office; 19
(4) shall require a candidate who accepts public campaign financing to: 20
(i) establish a campaign finance entity solely for the campaign for 21
[county] LOCAL elective office; and 22
(ii) use funds from that campaign finance entity only for the 23
campaign for [county] LOCAL elective office; 24
(5) shall prohibit a candidate who accepts public campaign financing from 25
transferring funds: 26
(i) to the campaign finance entity established to finance the 27
campaign for [county] LOCAL elective office from any other campaign finance entity 28
established for the candidate; and 29
(ii) from the campaign finance entity established to finance the 30
campaign for [county] LOCAL elective office to any other campaign finance entity; 31
SENATE BILL 575 3
(6) shall provide for a public election fund for [county] LOCAL elective 1
offices that is administered by the chief financial officer of the county; and 2
(7) shall be subject to regulation and oversight by the State Board to ensure 3
conformity with State law and policy to the extent practicable. 4
(d) A system of public campaign financing enacted under subsection (b) of this 5
section may: 6
(1) provide for more stringent regulation of campaign finance activity by 7
candidates who choose to accept public campaign financing, including contributions, 8
expenditures, reporting, and campaign material, than is provided for by State law; 9
(2) provide for administrative penalties for violations, in accordance with § 10
10–202 of the Local Government Article; and 11
(3) allow a publicly financed candidate to transfer any amount of funds 12
from the candidate’s campaign finance entity to the candidate’s contested election 13
committee. 14
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 15
1, 2025. 16