Senate spikes bill to rein in personal use of campaign cash

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia Senate has effectively killed a measure that would have prevented politicians from putting campaign funds toward personal uses, with an exception for child care-related expenses.  Virginia has one of the least restrictive and policed campaign finance systems in the country and is an outlier in the nation for not already having such a ban. But state lawmakers, who insist they want to work on the issue, have repeatedly balked in recent years at making a change. Lawmakers on Tuesday voted to send the bill back to committee. That ended its chances for the year because the deadline for committee action has passed.