{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-121.175","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 121.175","heading":"Allowable campaign expenditures -- Administrative regulations --","body":"Penalties.\n(1) (a) No candidate, committee, or contributing organization shall permit funds in a\ncampaign account to be expended for any purpose other than for allow able\ncampaign expenditures.\n(b) As used in this section, \"allowable campaign expenditures\":\n1. Means expenditures including reimbursement for actual expenses, made\ndirectly and primarily in support of or opposition to a candidate,\nconstitutional amendment, or public question which will appear on the\nballot and includes, but is not limited to, expenditures for staff salaries,\ngifts and meals for volunteer campaign workers and fundraisers, food\nand beverages provided at a campaign rally, advertising, office s pace,\nnecessary travel if reported, campaign paraphernalia, purchases of\nadvertisements in athletic and scholastic publications, communications\nwith constituents or prospective voters, polling and consulting, printing,\ngraphic arts, or advertising services , postage, office supplies, stationery,\nnewsletters, and equipment which is used primarily for the\nadministration of the campaign, or for fees incurred from legal services\nwhile defending a matter before the Kentucky Legislative Ethics\nCommission in which the final adjudication is rendered in favor of the\ncandidate; and\n2. Does not include necessary travel unless reported, expenditures of funds\nin a campaign account for any purpose made unlawful by other\nprovisions of the Kentucky Revised Statutes or which would bestow a\nprivate pecuniary benefit, except for payment of the reasonable value of\ngoods and services provided upon a candidate, member of the\ncandidate's family, committee, or contributing organization, or any of\ntheir employees, paid or unpaid, incl uding: tickets to an event which is\nunrelated to a political campaign or candidacy; items of personal\nproperty for distribution to prospective voters except items bearing the\nname, likeness, or logo of a candidate or a campaign -related\ncommunication; expen ditures to promote or oppose a candidacy for a\nleadership position in a governmental, professional, or political\norganization, or other entity; and equipment or appliances the primary\nuse of which is for purposes outside of the campaign.\n(c) The provisions  of KRS 121.190 notwithstanding, a candidate shall not be\nrequired to include a disclaimer on campaign stationery purchased with funds\nfrom his campaign account.\n(2) A member of the General Assembly may utilize funds in his or her campaign\naccount to:\n(a) Contribute up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) per year to a political party or\ncaucus campaign committee;\n(b) Contribute directly to another candidate, slate of candidates, political party, or\ncaucus campaign committee until his or her campaign funds have been\nexhausted and the account has been closed, if the amount of the contribution\ndoes not exceed the contribution limits contained in KRS 121.150(6) and (11);\n(c) Make allowable campaign expenditures in both election years and nonelection\nyears;\n(d) Upon approval by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of\nRepresentatives, depending on the member's chamber:\n1. Attend a conference, meeting, reception, or similar event; or\n2.  Attend an educational course or seminar that maintains or improves\nskills employed by the member in carrying out the duties of his or her\nelective office; and\n(e) Pay for fee s incurred from legal services while defending a matter arising\nfrom his or her campaign or election or the performance of his or her official\nduties.\n(3) (a) The use of campaign funds to pay for the reasonable costs of security\nmeasures for a state candid ate, officeholder, member of his or her family, and\nemployees of the candidate's campaign or the officeholder's office is an\nallowable campaign expenditure, so long as the security measures address\nongoing dangers or threats that would not exist irrespecti ve of the individual's\nstatus or duties as a candidate or officeholder. Disbursements for security\nmeasures shall be for the usual and normal charge for such goods or services.\n(b) As used in this subsection:\n1. \"Security measure\" includes but is not limited to:\na. Nonstructural security devices, such as security hardware, locks,\nalarm systems, motion detectors, and security camera systems;\nb. Structural security devices, such as wiring, lighting, gates, doors,\nand fencing, so long as such devices are inten ded solely to provide\nsecurity and not to improve the property or increase its value;\nc. Security personnel and services that are bona fide, legitimate, and\nprofessional; and\nd. Cybersecurity software, devices, and services; and\n2. \"Usual and normal charge\" means:\na. In the case of goods, the price of those goods in the market in\nwhich they are ordinarily purchased; and\nb. In the case of services, the hourly or piecework charge for the\nservices at a commercially reasonable rate prevailing at the time\nthe services are rendered.\n(4) The registry shall promulgate administrative regulations to implement and enforce\nthe provisions of subsection (1) of this section.\n(5) In lieu of the penalties provided in KRS 121.140 and 121.990 for a violation of this\nsection, the registry may, after hearing:\n(a) For a violation which was not committed knowingly, order the violator to\nrepay the amount of campaign funds which were expended for other than\nallowable campaign expenditures, and if not repaid within thirty (30) days,\nmay impose a fine of up to one hundred dollars ($100) for each day the\namount is not repaid, up to a maximum fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000);\nand\n(b) For a violation which was committed knowingly, in addition to referring the\nmatter for criminal prose cution, order the violator to repay the amount of\ncampaign funds which were expended for other than allowable campaign\nexpenditures, and if not repaid within thirty (30) days, may impose a fine of\nup to one hundred dollars ($100) for each day the amount is  not repaid, up to\na maximum fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000).","path":["KRS Chapter 121"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57262","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:18Z","sha256":"49444537371ff37b623f7c9fc09b24344916c28e04a83ed7c9373b57772bbfd6","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-121.172","next":"us-ky/krs-121.180"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}