STATE HOUSE, Providence – Responding to the growing number of threats and incidents of violence against candidates and elected officials in Rhode Island and across the country, Sen. Hanna M. Gallo will introduce legislation today to explicitly allow that campaign funds to be used for home security systems.
“Individuals who seek public office make many sacrifices, but they cannot be expected to sacrifice their personal safety,” said Senator Gallo (D – Dist. 27, Cranston, West Warwick). “Far too often, we are seeing threats and acts of violence against elected officials at all levels of government. Elected officials and their families should not have to endure this, and we should be doing everything we can to ensure they are safe.”
Last year, Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were assassinated in their home, and Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot in their home.
Also last year, Rhode Island state legislators were among several across the country whose homes were targets of bomb threats.
Known as the SECURE Act, or the Safeguarding Election Candidates Using Reasonable Expenditures Act, the legislation would clarify that campaign funds may be used for security-related purposes, including home and office security systems and their ongoing monitoring, in response to threats arising from public service or candidacy. Such systems may include alarms, video surveillance, access control systems, and their monitoring.
The bill would limit expenditures to $10,000 per individual in an election cycle. Additional safeguards include express prohibitions on payments to family members or entities owned or controlled by them; unrelated home improvements; and firearms or ammunition. Expenses must be related to addressing security risks to officeholders, candidates, or their family members, reported on campaign finance reports, and supported by itemized receipts or invoices.
“While federal officeholders and candidates are permitted to use campaign funds for security purposes, only a handful of states explicitly allow this type of expense,” Senator Gallo said. “But we have been witnessing a disturbing increase in the volume of threats and violence against state and local officials, as well as federal officials, here in Rhode Island and across the country. Violence has no place in our political discourse, of course, and it is imperative for the health of our democracy that candidates and public servants feel safe enough to run for office and to serve. The SECURE Act provides candidates and officeholders a transparent way of protecting themselves, at no cost to the state, while maintaining the public’s trust in the integrity of our campaign finance rules.”
Senator Gallo serves as President Pro Tempore of the Senate and as Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Education.
For more information, contact:
Greg Pare, Director of Communications for the Senate
State House Room 112
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 276-5558
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