§ 24.2-951.2 Referendum committee treasurer requirements and responsibilities

Overview of Statute

A. The treasurer shall keep detailed and accurate accounts of all contributions turned over to and expenditures made by the referendum committee, the treasurer, or other officer on behalf of the referendum committee, or reported to the treasurer pursuant to this article. Such account shall set forth the date of the contribution or expenditure, its amount or value, the name and address of the person or committee making the contribution or to whom the expenditure was made, and the object or purpose of the contribution or expenditure.

Such books and records may be destroyed or discarded at any time after (i) one year from the date of filing the final report required by § 24.2-951.9 or (ii) a period of three years, whichever first occurs, unless a court of competent jurisdiction shall order their retention for a longer period.

B. All contributions and expenditures received or made by any referendum committee, or received or made on its behalf or in relation to the committee by any person, except independent expenditures, shall be paid over or delivered to the referendum committee’s treasurer or shall be reported to the treasurer in such detail and form as to allow him to comply fully with this article. An independent expenditure shall be reported pursuant to § 24.2-945.2 in lieu of being reported to the referendum committee’s treasurer.

C. It shall be unlawful for any referendum committee, its treasurer, or any person receiving contributions or making expenditures on the committee’s behalf or in relation to the committee, to fail to report every contribution and expenditure as required by this article.

D. No referendum committee treasurer or other individual shall pay any expense on behalf of the committee, directly or indirectly, except by a check or electronic debit drawn on such designated depository identifying the name of the referendum committee. However, a treasurer or other authorized officer of the referendum committee may be reimbursed, by a check or electronic debit drawn on the designated depository, for the payment of expenses (i) paid by him by cash, check or electronic debit, or credit card, (ii) made on behalf of the committee, and (iii) fully documented by complete records of the expenditure, maintained as required by this chapter, and including receipts identifying the nature of the expenses and the names and addresses of each person paid by the recipient of the reimbursement.

E. A treasurer of a referendum committee (i) may establish a petty cash fund to be utilized for the purpose of making expenditures or reimbursing verified credit card expenditures of less than $200 if complete records of such expenditures are maintained as required by this chapter and (ii) may transfer funds from the designated campaign depository to an account or instrument to earn interest on the funds so long as the transferred funds and earned interest are returned to the designated depository account, complete records are maintained, and all expenditures are made through the designated depository account.

2003, c. 257, § 24.2-910.1; 2005, c. 745; 2006, cc. 787, 892; 2020, c. 349.