HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2461        FILED ON: 1/17/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2830

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to closing a gap in campaign finance laws.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2461        FILED ON: 1/17/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2830

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

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An Act relative to closing a gap in campaign finance laws.

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 3 of chapter 55 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth sentence of the eighth paragraph, contained in lines 81 to 97, inclusive, and inserting in place thereof the following:-

The name of a candidate who is required to file campaign finance reports with the director, who fails to file any statement or report after the institution of civil proceedings under this section to compel such filing, shall not be printed on any municipal preliminary, state primary or general or special election ballot unless the statement or report is filed prior to the deadline for filing nomination papers for such candidate pursuant to chapter 53 or any charter or special law establishing such filing deadline. The director shall notify the state secretary, or for municipal candidates, the registrars of the city or town, of the names of those candidates against whom civil proceedings have been instituted and shall do so within 72 hours of the filing deadline for nomination papers for such candidate. Any candidate who is disqualified from appearing on any municipal preliminary, state primary or general or special election ballot as set forth above shall be ineligible to be nominated or elected as a write-in or sticker candidate unless the candidate shall have filed the statements or reports which are the subject of the civil litigation by the date of the preliminary, primary, or election in which the candidate is seeking nomination or election. If civil proceedings are initiated against a state or county candidate for non-filing of a campaign finance report or statement and the candidate files the report or statement before the primary, the director shall notify the state secretary no later than 24 hours after the date of the primary. If civil proceedings are initiated against a municipal candidate who files with the director and the candidate files the campaign finance report or statement prior to the preliminary or, if no preliminary is held, prior to the date the preliminary for the office sought would have been held, the director shall notify the registrars no later than 24 hours after the date of the preliminary or the date the preliminary would have been held.