WG/Strategies/Ideas/Campaign Finance Legislation
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Massachusetts
Proposed Laws
Disclosure. This bill requires corporations to notify their shareholders when making independent expenditures. The top five individuals or entities that donated must say their names and addresses during the advertisement. Bans foreign entities from making expenditures.
Senate Bill 304 will address the problems created by the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC by requiring new levels of disclosure and transparency for corporate political spending and prohibiting foreign corporations from influencing elections in Massachusetts.
Senate Bill 305 would require corporations spending general treasury funds on political advertisements to notify shareholders of those expenditures in quarterly reports. Additionally, this bill would require corporate managers to get approval from their board of directors prior to spending general treasury funds on political ads. This bill was heard by the Joint Committee on Election Laws on October 19, after being referred to the committee in January, 2011. The next step for this bill is for the committee chairman Michael Moran (representing Brookline & Brighton) to call a vote to release it to the House floor. The Senate would also have to act in this process.
Senate Bill 308 would establish an optional public matching campaign finance system for state legislature candidates, reducing the burden of time they must spend fundraising, and helping ensure that elected officials are politically indebted to the people rather than to big-dollar donors.
Senate Bill 1577 would reduce the influence of special interest money through campaign finance restrictions which eliminate "pay to play" opportunities for two key groups with business before the state: lobbyists and state contractors.
Senate Bill 772, introduced by Sen. Jamie Eldridge (Shirley, Ayer) would call for the US Congress to initiate a Constitutional Amendment "to restore the First Amendment and fair elections to the people." This is intended to counteract the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC that allowed corporations to spend unlimited amounts on political campaigns.
Existing Laws
Massachusetts Office of Campaign & Political Finance
Massachusetts has a public financing system that I do not entirely understand.
Massachusetts Campaign Finance Law
A pdf of contribution limits: File:Contribution table.pdf
Scn 55:6A limits Political Action Committee contributions to candidates as follows:
- governor $150,000;
- lieutenant governor $31,250;
- attorney general $62,500;
- state secretary, treasurer or auditor $37,500;
- state senator & various others $18,750;
- state representative $7,500.
Scn 55:7 puts similar restrictions on loans that a candidate may make to his/her candidate committee. It also limits donations by individuals to $500/year to each candidate (or $25/year for a donor less than 18 years old,) adding up to less than $12,500 in one year to all candidates. There is no limit on an individual's contribution to ballot question committees.
Scn 55:8 prohibits campaign or political contributions by businesses or majority stockholders in listed industries that might benefit from state actions. Media offering free time to one candidate must make equivalent time available to competing candidates.
Scn 55:18G requires radio, TV or internet campaign advertising to disclose who paid for the announcement. Violation is punishable for $10,000 fine and/or a year in prison.
Scn 55:22 requires reporting of all contributions to affect the vote on "any question submitted to the voters," except by qualified political committees.