Rep. Elijah Cummings left $1 million in campaign funds when he died. His treasurer says he had a plan for it.

The late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore left $1 million in unspent campaign funds, according to election records. That raised an unanswered question: What happens to all that money now?

In Washington, the campaign accounts of deceased and former lawmakers can legally stay active for years. Under federal election rules, the “Cummings for Congress Campaign Committee” is permitted to contribute — within certain limits — to federal, state or local candidates, political party committees or political action committees. That’s a course that many other congressional campaign accounts have taken.