SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1768        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 346

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act Relative to Fundraising Receptions During Budget Deliberations..

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. Chapter 55 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 14 the following new section:--

Section 14A. Fundraising receptions prohibited during budget floor debate.

No political committee organized or operating on behalf of a member of the General Court, or any other political committee controlled by a member of the General Court, shall hold a fundraising reception or other fundraising event during the time the state budget is debated on the floor of the chamber in which the member serves or one week prior to said debate or one week following.  This section shall not apply to debates on any supplemental budgets.

Contributions collected in violation of this section shall be returned to the contributor and the member referred to the Ethics Committee of the chamber in which the member serves for sanction.