HARRISBURG — Campaign finance rules allow Pennsylvania state lawmakers to shield spending on food, booze and travel from public scrutiny, and officials often report them as simply credit card payments or expense reimbursements, said a report published Tuesday.

A yearlong investigation by Spotlight PA and Caucus news organizations said their review of thousands of pages of records indicated state House and Senate candidates spent nearly $3.5 million that can’t be fully traced from 2016 to 2018.

State campaign finance rules put no limits on donations and have no explicit ban on using money for personal expenses.