Relating to reporting requirements and spending thresholds for expenditures on elections

This bill (SB 491) lowers the spending thresholds requiring disclosure of independent election expenditures in West Virginia. It reduces the reporting threshold from $5,000 to $1,000 for spending on statewide, legislative, or multicounty judicial candidates, and from $10,000 to $2,500 for total aggregate spending. The bill also extends the reporting deadline from 15 to 30 days for certain filings and mandates written and spoken disclaimers on digital election ads. These changes directly affect individuals, groups, and political committees making election-related spending above the new thresholds.