A bill that would have put greater restrictions on personal use of campaign money was sent back to committee Tuesday following an unrecorded voice vote in the House.

House Bill 797 said candidates couldn’t use campaign funds to pay the mortgages on their primary residences, pay for family funerals or buy clothing, and could only pay for their own travel for political or official purposes. It would have allowed lawmakers to spend up to $50 a day to rent housing in Jackson during the Legislature, even while receiving per diem payments. A lawmaker wouldn’t be allowed to pay a legal fine, but could still pay lawyer costs stemming from a candidacy or official duties.

The proposal came after The Associated Press and The Clarion-Ledger questioned campaign spending. Some officials took leftover money from accounts when they retired, or spent it on things like cars, clothing and personal travel. Experts say the practice makes campaign contributions perilously close to bribes. Mississippi is one of only five states that still allow elected officials to pocket campaign money for personal use during or after their careers.

The use of campaign funds became an issue in last year’s election campaigns after an opponent disclosed that state Auditor Stacey Pickering had bought a car, a camper and a garage door using campaign money.

Officials use their campaign accounts to pay off credit cards without itemizing individual charges. The agreed-on version of the bill would have required credit card expenses be itemized on campaign reports.

While votes can’t be confirmed because they weren’t recorded, Rep. Becky Currie said she voted for the bill. However, she said lawyers brought up some legal issues with the bill during the debate.

“They did point out quite a few problems with it,” Currie said. “I think they’ll go back and fix it.”

Currie said she hopes to see the bill again in the next session. When asked whether or not it was appropriate to have a vote go unrecorded, Currie said only that it was a common practice when recommitting a bill.

The campaign finance changes had been attached to a broader rewrite of state election law and could return in modified form in the closing days of the Legislature.