A Mississippi house bill amendment says that elected officials and candidates are not allowed to use campaign money for their personal use. The Senate Elections Committee amended House Bill 797 to ban officials from using their own benefits.
According to the house bill amendment, the campaign money can't be used by the officials for personal purposes, including gasoline purchases, car payments, rent, or loans to candidates. The bill also includes ruling that candidates can't cash out campaign money at the end of their term. Officials would be able to use the campaign money for ordinary and necessary expenses of a candidate. The house bill amendment comes after five past officials have cashed out more than $50,000 in the previous years, ABC News reports.
"It was well worth the wait," Rep. Hank Zuber, R-Ocean Springs said. Zuber also introduced proposals to ban the personal use of campaign funds and cashing them out when officials retire, but all failed. "For me it's an issue of what is right and moral, and reinstating confidence in the political process."
Despite the Mississippi house bill amendment, it is still pending in the Senate for further debate, Salon reported. House Apportionment and Elections Committee Chairman Bill Denny is calling for a study of campaign finance practices that would be reported on Oct. 15. Based on the records of the National Conference of State Legislatures and AP research, Mississippi is one of the five states that still permit elected officials to use their campaign funds for their personal use during or after their tenure in the office. Other states that allow it include South Dakota, Wyoming, Virginia and Dakota.
"It erases the distinction between the political candidate and the person," said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. "The money might mean more to the candidate because they would know they could use it later."
The Mississippi house bill amendment comes after reports claimed that state Auditor Stacey Pickering purchased a camper, a car, and a garage door using campaign funds. An Associated Press research revealed that about 25 out of the 99 elected officials who served in the previous years have used over $1,000 after closing their campaign funds. Daily Progress noted that Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck pocketed more than $261,000 from periods between 2007 to 2013.
Apart from the Mississippi House Bill Amendment, the House Apportionment and Elections Committee passed Senate Bill 2374 on Tuesday to itemize the expenses on the official's credit cards.
