HB 1130: Safeguarding Election Candidates Using Reasonable Expenditures (SECURE) Act; enact

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.

• 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).

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.

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.

• 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.

1. 2026-02-12House Committee Favorably Reported (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2026-02-04House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2026-02-03House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2026-02-02House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Devan Seabaugh (R, HD-034)Patrocinador principal
• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-015)
• Carmen Rice (R, HD-139)
• Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)

• campaign finance
• candidate security
• election law
• government transparency