# Kentucky HB 45: AN ACT relating to campaign finance. Kentucky HB 45, AN ACT relating to campaign finance., is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by John Hodgson (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-03-24 (signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 57)); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB45-2025RS - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Kentucky HB 45 - State: Kentucky - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT relating to campaign finance. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-07 - Last action: 2025-03-24, signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 57) - Sponsor: John Hodgson (Republican) - Cosponsors: 9 - Subjects: Courts, Circuit, Crimes and Punishments, Elections and Voting, State Agencies, Campaign Finance, Civil Actions, Civil Procedure, Corrections Impact - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (191 yes, 30 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 10 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Campaign accounts gain more spending options: benefit, low. Campaign accounts can pay for volunteer fundraisers' and campaign workers' gifts and meals when spending directly and mainly supports ballot-related campaigns. Accounts can also give to other state or federal candidates or slates, or buy tickets to their fundraising or testimonial events. These pay… - Organization donors gain stronger privacy protections: benefit, low. Government offices, courts, and court officers can collect donor-identifying information only when directly related to an alleged foreign-funding or certification violation. They generally cannot disclose that information publicly. Disclosure is allowed after a final finding that the donor engaged… - Ballot committees must check foreign funding: cost, low. At registration, a ballot-measure committee's treasurer must certify that foreign nationals did not directly or indirectly fund its early activity. Committee reports must affirm no knowing or willful receipt, solicitation, or acceptance of foreign-national contributions or spending. For each contri… - Campaign violators face stronger court penalties: cost, low. The Registry can sue to enforce the foreign-funding and certification rules and bears the burden of proof. Courts must hold a probable-cause hearing before evidence discovery, with an expedited trial for cases that continue. If the Registry wins, courts can order conduct stopped and damages up to t… - Foreign funding barred from ballot campaigns: cost, low. Foreign nationals cannot directly or indirectly fund ballot-measure campaigns, solicit that funding, or take part in others' campaign decisions. Registered ballot-measure committees cannot knowingly or willfully receive, seek, or accept foreign-funded contributions or spending. Foreign nationals in… - Independent ballot spenders face funding checks: cost, low. Independent ballot-measure spenders must certify their foreign-funding history to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance within 48 hours after spending. They must certify no knowing or willful acceptance of over $100,000 total from foreign nationals in the preceding four years. They must also pr… - More campaign activity faces finance rules: cost, low. Groups of three or more people count as ballot-measure committees when they receive or spend more than $1,000 advocating a measure. Uncoordinated spending on messages expressly supporting or opposing a measure counts as independent spending. Coordination includes acting at a committee's request or… - Political advertisers must identify who pays: cost, low. Covered public political ads must clearly say “paid for by” and identify the purchaser by name and address. This covers ads expressly supporting or opposing a clearly identified candidate, slate, group of candidates, or ballot measure. Ads paid for by a candidate, slate, or campaign committee need… - Campaign filers face electronic reporting rules: mixed, low. Starting with the 2020 primary, covered candidates, slates, committees, contributing organizations, and independent spenders must file campaign reports electronically. The Registry must offer electronic filing when adequate and appropriate agency funds are available; reports become official upon re… - Campaign violations trigger refunds and repayments: mixed, low. After a foreign-funding or certification violation finding, committees must return the affected contributions to original donors within 30 days. People or entities required to report independent spending must pay the Registry its reported cost within 30 days. On appeal, the money stays in escrow un… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: John Hodgson (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Daniel Elliott (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Daniel Grossberg (Democrat), House - Cosponsor: Derek Lewis (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Josh Branscum (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Kim Banta (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Peyton Griffee (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Pamela Stevenson (Democrat), House - Cosponsor: Walker Thomas (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Wade Williams (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-03-14 | Senate | passed | pass | 77 | 12 | | | 2025-03-11 | Senate | passed | pass | 29 | 6 | | | 2025-02-12 | House | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 85 | 12 | | ## Actions (26) - 2025-03-24: signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 57) - 2025-03-14: delivered to Governor - 2025-03-14: enrolled, signed by President of the Senate (Senate) - 2025-03-14: enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House (Senate) - 2025-03-14: passed 77-12 (Senate) - 2025-03-14: House concurred in Senate Committee Substitute (1) (Senate) - 2025-03-12: posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Committee Substitute (1) (Senate) - 2025-03-11: to Rules (H) (House) - 2025-03-11: received in House (House) - 2025-03-11: passed 29-6 with Committee Substitute (1) (Senate) - 2025-03-11: Floor Amendment (1) withdrawn (Senate) - 2025-03-11: 3rd reading (Senate) - 2025-03-07: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 11, 2025 (Senate) - 2025-03-06: 2nd reading, to Rules (Senate) - 2025-03-05: floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute (Senate) - 2025-03-05: reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) (Senate) - 2025-02-18: to State & Local Government (S) (Senate) - 2025-02-13: to Committee on Committees (S) (Senate) - 2025-02-13: received in Senate (Senate) - 2025-02-12: 3rd reading, passed 85-12 (House) - 2025-02-07: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, February 11, 2025 (House) - 2025-02-07: 2nd reading, to Rules (House) - 2025-02-06: reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar (House) - 2025-02-04: to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H) (House) - 2025-01-07: to Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2025-01-07: introduced in House (House) ## Bill text - Current, 2025-03-14: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/hb45/bill.pdf) - Introduced, 2025-02-12: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/hb45/orig_bill.pdf) ## Related bills - HB 501: AN ACT relating to pharmaceutical drugs. (became law) - HB 664: AN ACT relating to the operation of a motor vehicle and declaring an emergency. (signed) - HB 606: AN ACT relating to economic development. (signed) - HB 421: AN ACT relating to colorectal cancer screenings. (signed) - HB 555: AN ACT relating to local government financial practices. (signed) - HB 493: AN ACT relating to the towing and storage of motor vehicles. (signed) ## Sources - [Current (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/hb45/bill.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/25RS/hb45/orig_bill.pdf) ## Related - [HB 501: AN ACT relating to pharmaceutical drugs.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB501-2025RS) - [HB 664: AN ACT relating to the operation of a motor vehicle and declaring an emergency.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB664-2025RS) - [HB 606: AN ACT relating to economic development.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB606-2025RS) - [HB 421: AN ACT relating to colorectal cancer screenings.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB421-2025RS) - [HB 555: AN ACT relating to local government financial practices.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB555-2025RS) - [HB 493: AN ACT relating to the towing and storage of motor vehicles.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB493-2025RS) - [Kentucky bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/kentucky/bills) - [Kentucky state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/kentucky) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB45-2025RS (as of 2026-10-19).