In New York State, a politician can retire, go to jail or even die without losing the right to maintain a working campaign fund. Take Assemblyman George Amedore, a Republican running for the State Senate, who recently received a $2,000 contribution from the Committee to Re-elect Senator Stafford. Senator Ronald Stafford, an upstate Republican, died in 2005, but the committee, now run by a former aide, has been doling out funds ever since.

Mr. Amedore said he was returning the gift. But that does not change how little sense this arrangement made. After a state politician leaves office, it’s time to close shop, including the campaign fund. If donors do not want their money back, any extra could go to charity or schools or something else useful. Yet, as the New York Public Interest Research Group has documented, former politicians in New York State have over $10 million sitting in their various campaign accounts.

Those include several ghost committees like the one for Senator Thomas Morahan, which has about $30,000. Mr. Morahan died in 2010. A committee for Ralph Marino, the former State Senate leader who died in 2002, still has $100,000. Former State Senator Carl Kruger, now in prison for corruption, used more than $1.5 million from his campaign fund for legal bills, and has more than $400,000 in his account. Former Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned from office after sending lewd pictures of himself on Twitter, but the Anthony Weiner for Mayor committee still has almost $4 million.

State Senator Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat, is one of several lawmakers trying to get rid of these permanent treasuries. Her bill would require that former politicians’ funds be closed out within four years of an election or the last day in office, whichever comes later, and within a year after death. The money could go to a charity, the state university system, the state’s general fund or a working campaign. Like most campaign finance reform bills in Albany, this one is stalled by those who enjoy the status quo.