HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3903        FILED ON: 1/16/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 646

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act requiring the disclosure of expenditures by subvendors..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 18 of chapter 55 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition is hereby amended by inserting after clause (8) the following clause:-

(8A) the amount or value, date and purpose of each expenditure more than one hundred dollars made in a reporting period, made by an agent or independent contractor, including any vendor or subvendor, on behalf of or for the benefit of a candidate or candidate’s committee.  Expenditures which must be reported include: (a) expenditures to any person, other than an employee of the agent or independent contractor, for advice, analysis, or campaign management services, including but not limited to analysis, advice, or management services in connection with development of campaign strategy, campaign management, design or management of campaign literature or advertising, campaign fundraising; and (b) expenditures to any person, other than an employee of the agent or independent contractor, who furnishes the candidate or committee with products or services which show how the campaign is conducted, including but not limited to expenditures for printed campaign literature, advertising time or space, campaign buttons and other campaign paraphernalia, surveys, polls, signature gathering and door-to-door solicitation of voters, facilities, invitations, or entertainment for fundraising events and postage for campaign mailings.

SECTION 2. Section 32 of chapter 55 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following paragraph:-

No expenditure of one hundred dollars or more shall be made, other than overhead or normal operating expenses, by an agent or independent contractor, including, but not limited to, a political consultant or advertising agency, on behalf of or for the benefit of any candidate or candidate’s committee unless it is reported by the candidate or candidate’s committee as if the expenditure were made directly by the candidate or candidate’s committee. The agent or independent contractor shall make known to the candidate or candidate’s committee all information required to be reported by section 18 of this chapter.