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Bill

H 116

An act relating to limiting campaign contributions for State Representatives and State Senators

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by V.L. Coffin and 8 co-sponsors

The bill caps total campaign contributions for State Representative and State Senator campaigns at $29,000 per election, with per-source limits of $1,000 (Rep) or $1,500 (Sen), and

Read first time and referred to the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs
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Bill Summary · H 116

Summary of H.116 (2025-2026) — Vermont

Purpose and intent

  • H.116 proposes to limit the total amount of campaign contributions that candidates for State Representative and State Senator may receive during an election cycle.
  • The stated aim is to align contribution limits with the compensation for the offices, effectively tying campaign finance limits to legislative pay.

Key provisions and changes

  • State Representative contributions (Secs. 2941(a)(1))

    • Individual source contributions: cap of $1,000 per source.
    • Political committee contributions: cap of $1,000 per committee.
    • Unlimited contributions from a political party are allowed.

  • State Senator contributions (Secs. 2941(a)(2))

    • Individual source contributions: cap of $1,500 per source.
    • Political committee contributions: cap of $1,500 per committee.
    • Unlimited contributions from a political party are allowed.

  • State Representative total cap (Secs. 2941(a)(3))

    • Cap of $29,000 from all sources in an election cycle.
    • Includes contributions from the candidate themselves (i.e., self-contributions) as part of the per-source limit.

  • State Senator total cap (Secs. 2941(a)(4))

    • Cap of $29,000 from all sources in an election cycle.
    • Includes contributions from the candidate themselves as part of the per-source limit.

  • Other offices (Sec. 2941(a)(5)-(7))

    • For Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Auditor of Accounts, and Attorney General: contribution limits are set at $4,000 per source or committee; unlimited contributions from a political party are allowed.
    • Political parties face separate limits: $10,000 per single source or committee, and up to $60,000 from a political party to the party itself.

  • Political committees and parties (Sec. 2941(a)(6)-(7))

    • Political committees: aggregate limits of $4,000 per single source, per committee, or per party.
    • Political parties: aggregate limits, with the above-referenced per-source, per-committee, and per-party caps.

  • Contributions from a candidate (Sec. 2947)

    • The bill clarifies that it does not limit how much a candidate may contribute to their own campaign in general, but the subchapter’s overall limits apply to candidates for State Representative or State Senator.

  • Effective date (Sec. 3)

    • The act takes effect on passage (immediate implementation upon enactment).

Who and what is affected

  • Affected offices: State Representative and State Senator campaigns, plus related measures for other statewide offices (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, etc.) and party/committee contributions.
  • Contributors impacted: Individuals, political committees, and political parties.
  • Campaign finance reporting: While not detailed in the excerpt, existing reporting requirements would apply, with new per-source and per-cycle caps guiding allowable contributions.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Status: Introduced and referred to the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs (as of January 29, 2025). First-time action: read first time; committee referral.
  • Committee activity: The bill is handled by the House committee responsible for elections and government operations; sponsor list includes multiple representatives.
  • Next steps: If advanced, it would move through committee deliberations, potential amendments, floor votes in the House, and then Senate consideration, subject to legislative calendar and possible conference committee if differences arise.

Observations and potential impact

  • The bill sets relatively low annual limits for individual contributors to State Representative campaigns ($1,000 per source and per committee; $29,000 total) and slightly higher limits for State Senate campaigns ($1,500 per source and per committee; $29,000 total).
  • It allows unlimited contributions from political parties to candidates, which may influence campaign finance dynamics and party-centric fundraising.
  • By tying total contributions to office compensation, the bill aims to cap overall influence from donors relative to the office’s pay, though the statute does not specify current or proposed compensation levels in this excerpt.
  • The proposal also places explicit limits on contributions to higher offices (with more stringent per-source caps) and corroborates existing or proposed separate caps for committees and parties.

If you’d like, I can add a side-by-side comparison with Vermont’s current campaign finance limits or provide a plain-language summary for non-legal audiences.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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