---
title: HB 1130. Safeguarding Election Candidates Using Reasonable Expenditures (SECURE) Act; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1130
cite_as: HB 1130, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1130
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1130.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1130/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72684
date: 2026-02-12
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1129.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1131.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 185
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1130.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1130
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-02
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
- Devan Seabaugh
- Matthew Gambill
- Carmen Rice
- Buddy DeLoach
- James Burchett
- Tyler Smith
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1130/2025
upstream_id: 2104350
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- campaign finance
- candidate security
- election law
- government transparency
---
# HB 1130. Safeguarding Election Candidates Using Reasonable Expenditures (SECURE) Act; enact
## Text
House Bill 1130
By: Representatives Seabaugh of the 34th, Gambill of the 15th, Rice of the 139th, DeLoach of
the 167th, Burchett of the 176th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 5 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
government transparency and campaign finance, so as to specify the time period for a
candidate's or campaign committee treasurer's failure to comply with requests for inspection
of accounts; provide for penalties for failure to comply with such requests; to provide that
certain expenses related to security equipment and services constitute expenses of a
campaign; to provide a definition; to provide for the leasing of security equipment; to provide
for additional reporting requirements for such expenses; to provide a short title; to provide
for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Safeguarding Election Candidates Using
Reasonable Expenditures (SECURE) Act."
SECTION 2.
Chapter 5 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to government
transparency and campaign finance, is amended in Code Section 21-5-3, relating to
definitions, by adding a new paragraph to read as follows:
"(24.1) 'Security expenditures' means reasonable costs for security equipment and
monitoring services, including but not limited to installation costs by licensed providers
of security services."
SECTION 3.
Said chapter is further amended in Code Section 21-5-32, relating to accounts to be kept by
candidate or campaign committee treasurer, by adding a new subsection to read as follows:
"(d) Any request to inspect accounts issued under this article shall allow the candidate or
treasurer of a campaign committee up to 30 days to comply with such request. Failure to
allow or facilitate such inspection shall constitute a violation of this article and be subject
to civil penalties as provided for in Code Section 21-5-6 or criminal penalties as provided
for in Code Section 21-5-9."
SECTION 4.
Said chapter is further amended in Code Section 21-5-33, relating to disposition of
contributions, by revising subsection (a) as follows:
"(a)(1) Contributions to a candidate, a campaign committee, or a public officer holding
elective office and any proceeds from investing such contributions shall be utilized only
to defray ordinary and necessary expenses, which may include any loan of money from
a candidate or public officer holding elective office to the campaign committee of such
candidate or such public officer, incurred in connection with such candidate's campaign
for elective office or such public officer's fulfillment or retention of such office.
(2)(A) In addition to defraying ordinary and necessary expenses pursuant to
paragraph (1) of this subsection, contributions to a candidate, a campaign committee,
or a public officer holding elective office and any proceeds from investing such
contributions may be utilized to defray expenditures incurred by a candidate or public
officer holding elective office to provide for his or her security during an ongoing
campaign or for the term of such elective office; provided, however, that no
expenditures pursuant to this paragraph shall:
(i) Be used for structural or physical improvements to property that is not directly
related to the installation of security equipment;
(ii) Be used for the purchase of any firearms, ammunition, or other weapons; or
(iii) Be used to pay a member of the family or campaign staff member of the
candidate or public officer holding elective office for the installation of security
equipment or the provision of monitoring services.
(B) Any security equipment acquired by an expenditure pursuant to this paragraph
shall be returned upon the conclusion of a candidate’s active campaign or, in the case
of a public officer, upon the expiration of the term of office. Such equipment may be
retained only if the candidate or public officer reimburses the campaign, from personal
funds, an amount equal to the full cost of the equipment. Absent such reimbursement,
the equipment shall not remain in the possession of the candidate or public officer.
(C) In addition to any other reporting that may be required by this chapter, a candidate,
chairperson or treasurer of a campaign committee, or public officer holding elective
office shall provide an itemized report to the commission on each expenditure made
pursuant to this paragraph. Such report shall include invoice documentation of the
security equipment and security services acquired and, if such equipment or services
were obtained from a licensed provider of security services, the licensing information
of such provider."
SECTION 5.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia House bill would let political candidates and officeholders use campaign contributions to pay for personal security equipment and monitoring services, with new limits and reporting rules, while also setting a 30-day deadline for campaigns to comply with financial inspection requests.
### Plain-language summary
Currently, Georgia's campaign finance law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 5 of Title 21) lets candidates and officeholders spend campaign contributions only on ordinary and necessary campaign or officeholding expenses. This bill, called the SECURE Act, adds a new category: security expenditures, defined as reasonable costs for security equipment and monitoring services, including installation by licensed security providers.
Candidates and officeholders could use campaign funds for personal security during a campaign or term in office, but not for general property improvements unrelated to security installation, not for firearms or ammunition, and not to pay family members or campaign staff for installing equipment or monitoring it. Security equipment bought this way must be returned when the campaign or term ends unless the candidate personally reimburses the full cost. The bill also requires itemized reporting of these expenditures, including invoices and provider licensing information, to the State Election Board. Separately, it gives candidates and treasurers 30 days to comply with requests to inspect campaign accounts, with civil or criminal penalties for failing to do so.
### What it does
- Adds a legal definition of 'security expenditures' covering reasonable costs for security equipment and monitoring services, including licensed installation costs (Code Section 21-5-3).
- Allows candidates and officeholders to spend campaign contributions on personal security equipment and services during a campaign or term of office (Code Section 21-5-33).
- Bars using these campaign funds for unrelated property improvements, firearms, ammunition, or weapons, or for paying family or staff to install or monitor the equipment.
- Requires that security equipment bought with campaign funds be returned when the campaign ends or the term expires unless the candidate personally reimburses its full cost.
- Requires itemized reporting of security expenditures to the state, including invoices and the licensing information of any security provider used.
- Gives candidates or campaign treasurers up to 30 days to comply with requests to inspect campaign accounts and creates civil or criminal penalties for failing to comply (Code Section 21-5-32).
### Who it affects
Candidates for elected office in Georgia, sitting public officers, campaign committee treasurers and chairpersons, licensed security service providers, and the state agency that reviews campaign finance reports and account inspection requests.
### Why it matters
Candidates and officeholders facing safety concerns could pay for security systems with campaign money instead of personal funds, but the bill blocks using that money for weapons or unrelated home upgrades and requires public disclosure of the spending, adding transparency around a new use of campaign contributions.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 names the bill the 'Safeguarding Election Candidates Using Reasonable Expenditures (SECURE) Act.'
- Section 2 defines 'security expenditures' as reasonable costs for security equipment and monitoring services, including licensed installation costs.
- Section 3 sets a 30-day window for candidates or treasurers to comply with account inspection requests and ties noncompliance to civil penalties (Code Section 21-5-6) or criminal penalties (Code Section 21-5-9).
- Section 4 allows campaign funds to cover personal security expenses but excludes unrelated property improvements, firearms, ammunition, and payments to family or staff for installation or monitoring.
- Section 4 also requires security equipment to be returned after a campaign or term ends unless the officeholder reimburses its full cost from personal funds.
- Section 4 requires itemized reporting to the commission of each security expenditure, including invoices and provider licensing details.
- Section 5 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-02)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-02-12)
- Sponsors: Devan Seabaugh, Matthew Gambill, Carmen Rice, Buddy DeLoach, James Burchett, Tyler Smith
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72684
> The history, votes, and amendments (185 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1130.md?full=1