HB 1681-FN – AS INTRODUCED
2012 SESSION
03/10
HOUSE BILL 1681-FN
AN ACT relative to reporting political expenditures and contributions.
SPONSORS: Rep. Cohn, Merr 6; Rep. Pierce, Graf 9; Rep. Comerford, Rock 9; Rep. Birdsell, Rock 8
This bill requires that reports of political expenditures and contributions be filed electronically.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
12-2443
03/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twelve
AN ACT relative to reporting political expenditures and contributions.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Reports. Amend RSA 664:6, I to read as follows:
I. Any political committee whose receipts or expenditures in support of a candidate, measure, or political party exceed $500 except, for the purposes of this paragraph only, the political committee of a political party or the political committee of a candidate, shall file with the secretary of state an itemized statement, signed or authenticated in a manner acceptable to the secretary of state by its chairman and treasurer showing each of its receipts exceeding $25 with the full name and home post office address of the contributor in alphabetical order and the amount of the contribution, the date it was received, and the aggregate total for each election for each contributor of over $100. The statement shall be filed not later than the Wednesday 12 weeks immediately preceding a primary election, before 5 o’clock in the afternoon, and shall cover the period from the day of the committee registration up to and including the Monday before the statement is due. All receipts of $25 or under shall appear on the statements as unitemized receipts. Any listing which exceeds an individual’s aggregate total of $100 for each election shall be accompanied by the contributor’s occupation including official job title, the name of the contributor’s employer, and the city or town of the contributor’s principal place of business, if any. The statement shall also show each committee expenditure with the full name and city or town of persons, corporations, committees, or to whomever paid or to be paid, the date paid, and the election for which the expenditure was made, with the specific nature and amount of each expenditure since the date of the registration. The statement shall be filed electronically, except that where circumstances make electronic filing impracticable, the secretary of state may accept a paper statement if it is accompanied by a fee to cover the cost of conversion to electronic form by the secretary of state.
2 Filing by Facsimile. Amend RSA 664:9-a to read as follows:
664:9-a Itemized Statements Filed by Facsimile Transmission. The sworn itemized statements required to be filed by a political committee or a candidate or on the candidate’s behalf as required by RSA 664:6, 664:7, and 664:7-b may be filed by means of a facsimile transmission; provided, however, that a statement which is transmitted electronically or telephonically by a facsimile device shall also be filed by a political committee or a candidate or on the candidate’s behalf not later than the last day of each filing period under RSA 664:6, 664:7, and 664:7-b if a facsimile transmission is used and shall be subject to the fee authorized by RSA 664:6, I.
3 Public Inspection. Amend RSA 664:11 to read as follows:
664:11 Public Inspection. All statements, assents, and registrations filed by state committees, candidates, and political committees shall be open to public inspection. The secretary of state shall publish in a searchable format on the Internet all information on [all] contributions and expenditures reported under this chapter[, including the name of the contributor, the contributor’s home state, and the date of the contribution].
4 Repeal. RSA 664:6, VI, relative to copies of statements, is repealed.
5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2013.
LBAO
12-2443
01/03/12
HB 1681-FN - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to reporting political expenditures and contributions.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Office of Legislative Budget Assistant is unable to complete a fiscal note for this bill as it is awaiting information from the Department of State. When completed, the fiscal note will be forwarded to the House Clerk's Office.