HCS HB 1900 -- CAMPAIGN FINANCE

SPONSOR:  May (Dempsey)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Elections
by a vote of 6 to 0.

This substitute changes the laws regarding campaign finance.  In
its main provisions, the substitute:

(1)  Requires lobbyists to include expenditures for all members
of either a majority or minority caucus in both houses of the
General Assembly in their monthly reports to the Missouri Ethics
Commission;

(2)  Requires the executive director of the commission to notify
candidates and the treasurer of a campaign committee of the
failure to file campaign disclosure reports and the fines that
will be assessed.  Notice will no longer be required for deputy
treasurers;

(3)  Requires continuing committees that are not controlled or
directed by a candidate to be formed no later than 60 days prior
to the election that the committee seeks to influence;

(4)  Removes obsolete references to Section 130.051, RSMo;

(5)  Prohibits the formation of candidate committees for the
offices of Speaker of the House of Representatives and President
Pro Tem of the Senate;

(6)  Requires disclosure reports to be electronically filed with
the commission which must establish rules for the filing; and

(7)  Requires the commission to audit campaign disclosure reports
and provide the results four times a year to the General
Assembly.  Monthly disclosure reports will be audited randomly
with the results being presented annually to the General
Assembly.  Errors in contribution and expenditure reports that
are identified by the commission will be posted on the Internet
as well as sent to the candidates and treasurers in the form of a
notice in the regular mail.  If there is an error with a
contribution that is not corrected within 30 days of the date of
the notification letter, the contribution will go to the state.
If there is an error with an expenditure that is not corrected
within the 30-day period, the expenditure will be forwarded to
the State Treasurer.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds in FY 2007, FY 2008, and
FY 2009.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the bill will simplify auditing
procedures and enforce late filing penalties for campaign
committees.

Testifying for the bill was Representative Dempsey.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Jason Glahn, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
93rd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated November 29, 2006 at 9:45 am