Bill > H541

This bill modifies disclosure requirements for committees that spend money to support or oppose candidates, aiming to increase transparency in campaign finance. Specifically, it updates the reporting of expenditures by requiring committees to list, alphabetically, the full name and address of each person to whom an expenditure exceeding fifty dollars was made, along with the amount, date, and purpose, with exceptions for certain identified expenditures. For political party committees or those supporting multiple candidates, additional details about the candidates on whose behalf the expenditure was made are required. The bill also clarifies that payments for campaign purposes exceeding $100 must be made from funds in a designated campaign account via checks, with specific rules for checks payable to named payees versus those for smaller amounts payable to the candidate or treasurer, and mandates that the memo line of checks clearly state the purpose of the expenditure. Furthermore, it requires Political Action Committees (PACs) and state party committees to identify the candidate supported or opposed on any check issued for that purpose. Finally, if a bank report of an expenditure made by a PAC or state party committee to support or oppose a candidate does not identify the candidate, the committee must, within seven days of receiving the report, add this information, specifying whether the expenditure supported or opposed the candidate.