                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

DEFINITIONS (§ 24.2-945.1)

A. As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
			&#8220;Authorization&#8221; means express approval or express consent by the
candidate, the candidate&#8217;s campaign committee, or an agent of the
candidate or his campaign committee after coordination.
			&#8220;Campaign committee&#8221; means the committee designated by a
candidate to receive all contributions and make all expenditures for him or on
his behalf in connection with his nomination or election.
			&#8220;Candidate&#8221; means &#8220;candidate&#8221; as defined in &#xA7;
24.2-101.
			&#8220;Contribution&#8221; means money and services of any amount, in-kind
contributions, and any other thing of value, given, advanced, loaned, or in any
other way provided to a candidate, campaign committee, political committee, or
person for the purpose of expressly advocating the election or defeat of a
clearly identified candidate or to an inaugural committee for the purpose of
defraying the costs of the inauguration of a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or
Attorney General. &#8220;Contribution&#8221; includes money, services, or things
of value in any way provided by a candidate to his own campaign and the payment
by the candidate of a filing fee for any party nomination method.
			&#8220;Coordinated&#8221; or &#8220;coordination&#8221; refers to an
expenditure that is made (i) at the express request or suggestion of a
candidate, a candidate&#8217;s campaign committee, or an agent of the candidate
or his campaign committee or (ii) with material involvement of the candidate, a
candidate&#8217;s campaign committee, or an agent of the candidate or his
campaign committee in devising the strategy, content, means of dissemination, or
timing of the expenditure.
			&#8220;Designated contribution&#8221; means a contribution that is designated
specifically and in writing for a particular candidate or candidates and that is
made using a political committee solely as a conduit.
			&#8220;Expenditure&#8221; means money and services of any amount, and any
other thing of value, paid, loaned, provided, or in any other way disbursed by
any candidate, campaign committee, political committee, or person for the
purpose of expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified
candidate or by any inaugural committee for the purpose of defraying the costs
of the inauguration of a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General.
			&#8220;Federal political action committee&#8221; means any political action
committee registered with the Federal Election Commission that makes
contributions to candidates or political committees registered in Virginia.
			&#8220;Inaugural committee&#8221; means any organization, person, or group of
persons that anticipates receiving contributions or making expenditures, from
other than publicly appropriated funds, for the inauguration of the Governor,
Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General and related activities.
			&#8220;Independent expenditure&#8221; means an expenditure made by any
person, candidate campaign committee, or political committee that is not made
to, controlled by, coordinated with, or made with the authorization of a
candidate, his campaign committee, or an agent of the candidate or his campaign
committee. &#8220;Independent expenditure&#8221; includes an expenditure made by
a candidate campaign committee (i) that is not related to the candidate&#8217;s
own campaign and (ii) that is not made to, controlled by, coordinated with, or
made with the authorization of a different candidate, his campaign committee, or
an agent of that candidate or his campaign committee.
			&#8220;In-kind contribution&#8221; means the donation of goods, services,
property, or other thing of value, other than money, including an expenditure
controlled by, coordinated with, or made upon the authorization of a candidate,
his campaign committee, or an agent of the candidate or his campaign committee,
that is provided for free or less than the usual and normal charge. The basis
for arriving at the dollar value of an in-kind contribution is as follows: new
items are valued at retail value; used items are valued at fair market value;
and services rendered are valued at the actual cost of service per hour.
Services shall not be deemed to include personal services voluntarily rendered
for which no compensation is asked or given.
			&#8220;Out-of-state political committee&#8221; means an entity covered by
&#xA7; 527 of the United States Internal Revenue Code that is not registered as
a political committee or candidate campaign committee in Virginia and that does
not have as its primary purpose expressly advocating the election or defeat of a
clearly identified candidate. The term shall not include a federal political
action committee.
			&#8220;Person&#8221; means any individual or corporation, partnership,
business, labor organization, membership organization, association, cooperative,
or other like entity.
			&#8220;Political action committee&#8221; means any organization, person, or
group of persons, established or maintained to receive and expend contributions
for the primary purpose of expressly advocating the election or defeat of a
clearly identified candidate. The term shall not include a campaign committee,
federal political action committee, out-of-state political committee, political
party committee, referendum committee, or inaugural committee.
			&#8220;Political committee&#8221; means and includes any political action
committee, political party committee, referendum committee, or inaugural
committee. The term shall not include: (i) a federal political action committee
or out-of-state political committee; (ii) a campaign committee; (iii) a
political party committee exempted pursuant to &#xA7; 24.2-950.1; or (iv) a
person who receives no contributions from any source and whose only expenditures
are made solely from his own funds and are either contributions made by him
which are reportable by the recipient pursuant to this chapter or independent
expenditures which are reportable by him to the extent required by &#xA7;
24.2-945.2, or a combination of such reportable contributions and independent
expenditures.
			&#8220;Political party committee&#8221; means any state political party
committee, congressional district political party committee, county or city
political party committee, other election district political party committee, or
organized political party group of elected officials. This definition is subject
to the provisions of &#xA7; 24.2-950.1.
			&#8220;Primary purpose&#8221; means that 50% or more of the committee&#8217;s
expenditures made in the form of contributions shall be made to candidate
campaign committees or political committees registered in Virginia.
Administrative expenditures and the transfer of funds between affiliated or
connected organizations shall not be considered in determining the
committee&#8217;s primary purpose. The primary purpose of the committee shall
not be determined on the basis of only one report or election cycle, but over
the entirety of the committee&#8217;s registration.
			&#8220;Referendum committee&#8221; means any organization, person, group of
persons, or committee, that makes expenditures in a calendar year in excess of
(i) $10,000 to advocate the passage or defeat of a statewide referendum, (ii)
$5,000 to advocate the passage or defeat of a referendum being held in two or
more counties and cities, or (iii) $1,000 to advocate the passage or defeat of a
referendum held in a single county or city.
			&#8220;Residence&#8221; means &#8220;residence&#8221; or
&#8220;resident&#8221; as defined in &#xA7; 24.2-101.
			&#8220;Statewide office&#8221; means the office of Governor, Lieutenant
Governor, or Attorney General.

B. For the purpose of applying the filing and reporting requirements of this
chapter, the terms &#8220;person&#8221; and &#8220;political committee,&#8221;
shall not include an organization holding tax-exempt status under &#xA7; 501(c)
(3), 501(c) (4), or 501(c) (6) of the United States Internal Revenue Code which,
in providing information to voters, does not advocate or endorse the election or
defeat of a particular candidate, group of candidates, or the candidates of a
particular political party.

HISTORY: 1970, c. 462, § 24.1-255; 1975, c. 515, § 24.1-254.1; 1981, c. 425,
§ 24.1-254.2; 1983, c. 119; 1988, c. 616; 1991, cc. 9, 474, 709, § 24.1-254.3;
1993, cc. 641, 776, 921, §§ 24.2-901, 24.2-902; 1994, c. 510; 1996, cc. 405,
1042; 2004, c. 457; 2006, cc. 771, 772, 787, 805, 892, 938; 2007, cc. 246, 831;
2008, cc. 152, 289.