AN ACT RELATIVE TO STRENGTHENING CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to establish forthwith certain filing requirements for campaign finance reports, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:
The eighth paragraph of section 3 of chapter 55 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the fifth to eighth sentences, inclusive, and inserting in place thereof the following 5 sentences:- The name of a candidate who is required to file campaign finance reports with the director, and who fails to file any statement or report after the initiation of civil proceedings under this section to compel the filing, shall not be printed on any municipal preliminary, state primary or general or special election ballot unless the statement or report is timely filed pursuant to chapter 53 or any charter or special law establishing the 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 for failure to timely file have been initiated and shall do so within 72 hours of the filing deadline for nomination papers for the 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 municipal preliminary, state primary or general or special election in which the candidate is seeking nomination or election. If civil proceedings are initiated against a state or county candidate for failure to timely file the campaign finance report or statement and the candidate files the report or statement before the primary, the director shall notify the state secretary not later than 24 hours after the date of the primary. If civil proceedings are initiated against a municipal candidate who is required to file 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 not later than 24 hours after the date of the preliminary or the date the preliminary would have been held.
Approved, May 15, 2014.