An effort to more tightly regulate how New Hampshire politicians can spend their campaign money needs closer study, according to a House panel reviewing the proposed reforms.
The House Election Law Committee voted unanimously Tuesday not to advance a bill that would have prevented lawmakers from using campaign funds on personal expenses. Instead, they sent it to further study.
Rep. Wayne Moynihan, a Democrat from Dummer who sits on the committee, said it was important to make sure any proposed changes to the state’s campaign finance rules got careful attention.
“This isn’t being put into interim study as a polite way to kill it," Moynihan said. "Theoretically, it’s being put into interim study because there’s good reason to think that we’re not careful enough in supervising these funds.”
An NHPR review of campaign finance records last year found that lawmakers of both parties have spent hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars in campaign funds on things like car repairs, dry cleaning and floral arrangements.
