2023 District of Columbia Code › Title 1 - Government Organization › Chapter 11A - Ethics and Government Accountability › Subchapter III - Campaign Finance › Part C - Legal Defense Funds › § 1–1163.29. Legal defense committees — contributions and expenditures

§ 1–1163.29. Legal defense committees — contributions and expenditures.
(a) Each legal defense committee shall have a chairperson and a treasurer. No contribution and no expenditure shall be accepted or made by or on behalf of a legal defense committee at a time when there is a vacancy in the office of treasurer for the committee and no other person has been designated and has agreed to perform the functions of treasurer. No expenditure shall be made for or on behalf of a legal defense committee without the authorization of its chairperson or treasurer, or their designated agents.
(b) Every person who receives a contribution of $50 or more for or on behalf of a legal defense committee shall, on demand of the treasurer, and in any event within 5 days after receipt of the contribution, submit to the treasurer of the committee a detailed account thereof, including the amount, the name and address (including the occupation, employer, and the principal place of business, if any) of the person making the contribution, and the date on which the contribution was received. All funds of a legal defense committee shall be segregated from, and may not be commingled with, any personal funds of officers, members, or associates of such committee.
(c) The treasurer of a legal defense committee, and each beneficiary, shall keep a detailed and exact account of:
(1) All contributions made to or for the legal defense committee;
(2) The full name and mailing address (including the occupation, employer, and the principal place of business, if any) of every person making a contribution of $50 or more, and the date and amount of the contribution;
(3) All expenditures made by or on behalf of the legal defense committee; and
(4) The full name and mailing address (including the occupation, employer, and the principal place of business, if any) of every person to whom any expenditure is made, the date and amount thereof, and the name and address of, and office sought by, each candidate on whose behalf such expenditure was made.
(d) The treasurer or beneficiary shall obtain and preserve such receipted bills and records as may be required by the Campaign Finance Board.
(e)(1) No person shall make any contribution to or for a legal defense committee which, when aggregated with all other contributions to or for the legal defense committee received from the person, exceeds $2,000 in an aggregate amount; provided, that the $2,000 limitation shall not apply to contributions made by a public official for the purpose of funding his or her own legal defense committee within the District of Columbia.
(2) No contributions to a legal defense committee shall be made by a lobbyist or registrant or by an agent of the lobbyist or registrant.
(3) A legal defense committee shall not accept a contribution from a lobbyist or registrant or by an agent of the lobbyist or registrant.
(Apr. 27, 2012, D.C. Law 19-124, § 329, 59 DCR 1862; Mar. 13, 2019, D.C. Law 22-250, § 6(ee), 66 DCR 985.)
Applicability
Section 7183 of D.C. Law 24-45 repealed section 10(a) of D.C. Law 22-250 removing the applicability provision impacting this section. Therefore the amendment of this section by Law 22-250 has been implemented.
Section 7183 of D.C. Act 24-159 repealed section 10(a) of D.C. Law 22-250 removing the applicability provision impacting this section. Therefore the amendment of this section by Law 22-250 has been implemented.
Applicability of D.C. Law 22-250: § 10 of D.C. Law 22-250 provided that the change made to this section by § 6(ee) of D.C. Law 22-250 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.