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Health & Fitness

House Passes Super PAC Transparency Bill

On the heels of the enactment of campaign finance report reform, sponsored by State Representative Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen), the Massachusetts House of Representatives has passed legislation that would require the timely disclosure of donors to Super PACs (Political Action Committees) in the Commonwealth.

Under House Bill 4197, An Act relative to campaign finance disclosure and transparency, donors to independent expenditure PACs, which are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, will be required to be disclosed to the public within seven days of running an ad. Additionally, the bill requires donors who provided more than $5,000 to a Super PAC be named in the ad itself.

Super PACs operate independently of a public office candidate’s official campaign. As donations to the committees are undisclosed, it is difficult for the public to figure out what interest groups are funding then. Critics of Super PACs have referred to these funds as “dark money.”

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These new disclosure requirements will go into effect ahead of this fall’s elections.

“Over the past year, I have fiercely advocated for reforms to strengthen the Commonwealth’s campaign finance system, including those pertaining to Super PACs,” said DiZoglio, who represents communities in North Andover, Methuen, Lawrence and Haverhill. “I am truly delighted to see my colleagues in the Legislature share this commitment to increased transparency.”

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