By Alex Knott and Amanda H. Allen, CQ Staff

Even though they’re no longer with us, their campaigns live on. Take the late Reps. Julia Carson and Tom Lantos, for example.

Their campaign funds are still making contributions to various candidates and political organizations, as well as other expenditures.

Lantos. D-Calif., and Carson, D-Ind., are among at least 20 former members of Congress who died over the past decade or so and left behind active campaign funds totaling more than $7 million collectively, according to a CQ MoneyLine analysis.

State laws and Federal Election Commission regulations address many campaign issues, but there’s not much on the books dealing with how campaign funds of deceased lawmakers or candidates should be administered.

Usually what happens is the treasurer of a fund will continue to contribute money to candidates — or raise money to help retire left over debts — until there’s a zero balance. At that point a termination notice is filed with the FEC.

The Lantos and Carson campaigns are the only ones out of the 20 examined by MoneyLine that are still active. The Lantos fund still has $1.2 million and has made $60,000 in donations since the congressman died of cancer in February 2008. The Carson fund, meanwhile, still has $47,000 in available funds. Since her death from lung cancer in December 2007, has contributed a total of $33,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the campaigns of her grandson, Rep. André Carson , D-Ind., and Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick , D-Mich.

Some lawmakers, however, believe it’s time for legislation allowing more flexibility in how campaign funds of the deceased are handled, including the naming of an executor to make decisions. A bill (HR 749) introduced by Rep. Walter B. Jones , R-N.C., has already passed the House.