A candidate who already filed the yearly financial disclosure statement required of public officers does not have to file a second one with a nomination paper that year, starting on the law's effective date for statewide and legislative candidates and on January 1, 2027 for other offices.
Official title: candidate financial disclosures; public officers
- September 12, 2026: Whole law, including the rule for statewide and legislative candidates (the emergency clause was not enacted)
- January 1, 2027: Rule letting candidates for all other offices (not statewide or legislative) rely on a public officer financial disclosure statement filed for that year
What changes
BeforeFiling officers could not accept a state or local candidate's nomination paper unless the candidate provided the financial disclosure statement required for candidates for that office.
NowA statewide or legislative candidate who has filed a financial disclosure statement for that year under section 18-444, as a public officer defined in section 38-541, is deemed to have met this requirement, and no additional filing is required for that year.
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NowBeginning January 1, 2027, the same rule applies to candidates for all other offices: a public officer financial disclosure statement filed for that year under section 18-444 counts, and no additional filing is required for that year.
Who it affects
- Candidates for state and local office who have filed the yearly public officer financial disclosure statement under section 18-444
- Filing officers who accept nomination papers
What you need to do
Nothing.
What the law doesn't answer
- What information the financial disclosure statements contain
- Who counts as a public officer under section 38-541
- How a candidate or filing officer shows that a public officer statement has already been filed for that year
- Whether the public officer statement must cover the same information as the candidate statement
This summary describes the law as enacted. Later laws, court rulings or referendum petitions can change the picture. Check the official text for the current wording.