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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 23, 2023 10:55 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Jamie Barton |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Increasing Transparency of Campaign Finance Reports |
Colleagues, Please join me as a co-sponsor of legislation to increase the transparency of entries in campaign finance reports for reimbursements. Under current law, political committees and candidates for public office are required to file campaign finance reports detailing amounts received and expended by the committee or candidate during the filing period. The reports include information on expenditures, including the date of the expenditure, the name and address of the person to whom the expenditure was made and the purpose for which the expenditure was made. However, when the committee or candidate reimburses someone for an expense made on behalf of the campaign or candidate, the reports are currently merely required to note that the expense is for a reimbursement; there is no requirement that the underlying expenditure be publicly disclosed on the campaign finance reports. While current law allows the public to view the underlying vouchers submitted for reimbursement, this process is cumbersome and expensive for the requester. My legislation would require the campaign reports to include an itemized list and amounts for each reimbursement. The public good is served when expenditures made by campaign committees and candidates—of all political parties and persuasions—are fairly and adequately disclosed. I look forward to working with you on this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB1807