What's happening
This bill requires political committees in New York to report large campaign contributions of $1,000 or more within 48 hours for greater transparency.
Why it matters
Expands ongoing disclosure. The bill requires political committees to report every time a contributor's aggregate donations hit or cross the $1,000 mark within a reporting period, not just as a one-off or only close to elections. This ongoing notification increases the transparency of campaign finances in near “real time.”
Covers repeat and cumulative contributions. If a donor continues to give and their contributions surpass additional $1,000 thresholds during the reporting period, the committee must file additional disclosures within 48 hours. This closes loopholes where donors might split contributions into smaller amounts to avoid timely disclosure.
Includes joint fundraising transfers. Transfers from joint fundraising committees (for example, between a candidate’s committees) are treated as contributions and trigger the same reporting requirements, making it harder to obscure the original source or amount of funds moving between committees.
Shortens reporting window before elections. Large contributions received after the last regular filing but before an election must be reported within 24 hours, tightening the previous reporting time and reducing the window for last-minute, undisclosed donations. This is especially relevant for voters and watchdogs monitoring for sudden influxes of campaign cash just before votes.
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Report Big Donations Fast
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
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History
- Enacting clause stricken
- Referred to election law
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3279
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 27, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. KAVANAGH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Election Law
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to enacting the real time transparency act
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "real time transparency act".
§ 2. Subdivision 2 of section 14-108 of the election law, as amended by chapter 109 of the laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows:
2. Each statement shall cover the period up to and including the fourth day next preceding the day specified for the filing thereof[; provided, however, that any contribution or loan in excess of one thousand dollars, if received after the close of the period to be covered in the last statement filed before any primary, general or special election but before such election, shall be reported, in the same manner as other contributions, within twenty-four hours after receipt].
§ 3. Section 14-108 of the election law is amended by adding a new subdivision 2-a to read as follows:
2-a. In addition to the statements required under subdivisions one and two of this section, (a) If a political committee receives an aggregate amount of contributions equal to or greater than one thousand dollars from any contributor during the period covered by a statement required by this article, the committee shall submit a notification to the board of elections containing the name of the committee (and, in the case of an authorized committee of a candidate, the name of the candidate and the office sought by the candidate), the identification of the contributor, and the date of receipt and amount of the contributions involved.
(b) If, at any time after a political committee is required to submit a notification under this subdivision with respect to a contributor during the period covered by a statement required by this article, the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02933-01-7
A. 3279 2
political committee receives additional contributions from that contributor during that period, the committee shall submit an additional notification under paragraph (a) of this subdivision with respect to such contributor each time the aggregate amount of the additional contributions received from the contributor during the period equals or exceeds one thousand dollars (excluding the amount of any contribution for which information is required to be included in a previous notification under this subdivision).
(c) The political committee shall submit the notification required under this subdivision with respect to a contributor:
(i) in the case of a notification described in paragraph (a) of this subdivision, not later than forty-eight hours after the date on which the aggregate amounts of contributions received from the contributor during the period covered by a statement required by this article first equals or exceeds one thousand dollars; or
(ii) in the case of an additional notification described in paragraph (b) of this subdivision, not later than forty-eight hours after the date on which the aggregate amount of contributions received from the contributor during the period covered by a statement required by this article for which information was not already included in a notification under this subdivision first equals or exceeds one thousand dollars; provided, however, that any contribution or loan in excess of one thousand dollars, if received after the close of the period to be covered in the last statement filed before any primary, general or special election but before such election, shall be reported, in the same manner as other contributions, within twenty-four hours after receipt.
(d) For purposes of this subdivision, any amount transferred by a joint fundraising committee which is established by an authorized committee of a candidate to any other authorized committee of that candidate shall be treated as a contribution by the joint fundraising committee to such authorized committee.
§ 4. This act shall take effect January 15, 2019.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
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