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SB 495

ELECTION CODE: Provides for campaign finance disclosures. (8/1/26)

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Bayham and 10 co-sponsors

SB 495 broadens campaign finance disclosures in Louisiana, expanding definitions, detailing contributions/expenditures, and tightening reporting for greater transparency.

Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 773.
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Bill Summary · SB 495

Summary of Bill SB 495 (Louisiana, 2026) — Election Code: Campaign Finance Disclosures

Purpose and overall aim
- SB 495 revises and expands campaign finance disclosure requirements in Louisiana. It redefines certain entities and activities, broadens reporting obligations, clarifies definitions related to campaign finance, and strengthens transparency around electioneering communications, contributions, and expenditures.

Key provisions and changes
- Definitions and scope
- Recasts several terms: “committee,” “contribution,” “expenditure,” and “electioneering communication.” It also broadens what counts as a political committee, including recognized political party bodies, parish executive committees, gubernatorial transition/inauguration entities, and legislative delegations.
- Expands the definition of “electioneering communication” to include more forms of advocacy and clarifies timing considerations (e.g., within certain windows of elections).

  • Disclosure and reporting requirements

    • Strengthens and standardizes reporting for political committees, leadership committees, independent expenditure committees, and joint fundraising efforts.
    • Requires comprehensive itemization of contributions, including names, addresses, dates, amounts, and descriptions of in-kind contributions, with specific thresholds (e.g., $250) triggering reporting.
    • Tightens reporting on expenditures, including payments to public relations firms, advertising agencies, and agents, with thresholds (e.g., $5,000) determining whether reports show the payee or the entity.
    • Mandates detailed disclosure for expenditures to or on behalf of candidates, including the recipient’s information, purpose, and aggregate figures when multiple expenditures are made to the same recipient.

  • In-kind contributions and accounting

    • Clarifies in-kind valuation standards and aggregation rules (noting prima facie valuation and aggregation for multiple smaller donations).
    • Requires valuation details for in-kind contributions exceeding $250 and specifies how to treat successive donations.

  • Campaign finance entities and reporting timelines

    • Establishes annual statement-of-organization filing obligations for committees with certain activity levels (thresholds around $15,000 in aggregated activity per year).
    • Sets periodic reporting timelines (e.g., annual reports due by February 28 to March 15, with extensions and special rules for deficits/surpluses).
    • Provides for supplemental reports when a committee reports a deficit or surplus, including disposition of surplus funds.

  • Joint fundraising and party structure

    • Introduces and regulates joint fundraising arrangements, requiring a joint fundraising representative and reporting on contributions and distributions by the fundraising committee and participants.
    • Defines and regulates “recognized political party” entities, including parish-level party bodies and legislative delegations, and their contribution/expenditure roles.

  • Extensions, exemptions, and penalties

    • Allows for small-campaign affidavits in lieu of full reports for very low activity periods (with conditions).
    • Outlines penalties for noncompliance with reporting and organizational requirements.

Who is affected
- Candidates, committees, leadership committees, independent expenditure-only committees, political parties (including parish executive committees and recognized party legislative delegations), joint fundraising committees, gubernatorial transition/inauguration entities, and media/public relations firms involved in political advertising.

Timeline and effective date
- The act is described as effective on August 1, 2026 (8/1/26). It includes ongoing reporting timelines and transitional rules for existing committees and activity.

Impact and considerations
- Expect increased transparency around campaign finance, with more granular reporting of contributions, in-kind support, and expenditures.
- Potentially higher compliance costs for committees and service providers (e.g., PR firms) due to expanded reporting requirements.
- Greater public availability of data (subject to disclosed information) could affect candidate financing strategies and oversight.

Note: This summary captures the bill’s substantive mechanisms and reporting framework; consult the full text for precise definitions, cross-references, and drafting details.

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

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