The Massachusetts House of Representatives has voted unanimously to enact campaign finance reform legislation, sponsored by State Rep. Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen).
Under House Bill 3719, An Act to strengthen campaign finance reporting requirements, current campaign finance report law will be extended to candidates for municipal office who file with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Under prior law, candidates for state or county office who failed to file campaign finance reports could not appear on a primary or election ballot, yet this law did not apply to municipal candidates.
Moments before the House voted in favor of its enactment, DiZoglio took to the floor to advocate for the bill’s passage.
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“This legislation will ensure that candidates in municipal elections who file with the office of Campaign and Political Finance are held to the same standards as candidates in county and state elections,” said DiZoglio, in her speech. “I want to thank House Chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws James Murphy and his staff for their tireless work on this bill. It is my hope that we stand on a united front right now, not as Democrats and Republicans but as statesmen and stateswomen, in supporting common sense legislation to bring more transparency to our government.”
“As Vice Chair of the Committee on Election Laws, I applaud the efforts of Rep. DiZoglio,” said State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell (D-Methuen). “Many citywide local races involve large expenditures and the public has a right to expect that local candidates are bound by the same requirements as all other elected officials regarding campaign finance reporting.”
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“I commend my colleague Diana DiZoglio, a proud member of the Lawrence delegation, for introducing this important bill,” said State Rep. Marcos A. Devers (D-Lawrence). “This legislation reaffirms the Legislature’s commitment to good ethics.”
“This is a great piece of legislation that strengthens campaign finance reporting requirements and I want to thank Representative DiZoglio for sponsoring it,” said State Rep. Frank A. Moran (D-Lawrence).
