What's happening
This bill requires campaign finance reports to include additional identification information on donors and transferors, such as occupation and employer, for contributions over $99.
Why it matters
Increases transparency by requiring campaigns to disclose donors' occupations and employers. for any individual whose contributions or transfers exceed $99, offering greater insight into the sources of campaign funding.
Makes it harder for donors to hide behind vague or incomplete disclosure. , potentially deterring attempts to obscure the true origin of significant political contributions.
Applies enhanced reporting not only to individuals, but also to entities like corporations, partnerships, unions, and associations. requiring their full names and addresses—which helps track organizational influence more effectively.
May aid journalists, watchdog groups, and the public in identifying patterns of influence or conflicts of interest. by tying donations to specific industries, employers, or organizations, thus promoting more informed civic engagement and accountability.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Full Donor Disclosure
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to elections
- Referred to elections
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Require More Donor Information
In Assembly Committee · Election Law · Sponsor Victor M. Pichardo
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
492
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sen. RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Elections
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to requiring additional transferor and contributor identification information in campaign receipt and expenditure statements
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 14-102 of the election law, as amended by chapter 8 of the laws of 1978 and as redesignated by chapter 9 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
1. The treasurer of every political committee which, or any officer, member or agent of any such committee who, in connection with any election, receives or expends any money or other valuable thing or incurs any liability to pay money or its equivalent shall file statements sworn, or subscribed and bearing a form notice that false statements made therein are punishable as a class A misdemeanor pursuant to section 210.45 of the penal law, at the times prescribed by this article setting forth all the receipts, contributions to and the expenditures by and liabilities of the committee, and of its officers, members and agents in its behalf. Such statements shall include the dollar amount of any receipt, contribution or transfer, or the fair market value of any receipt, contribution or transfer, which is other than of money, the name [and], address and other identification of the transferor, contributor or person from whom received, and if the transferor, contributor or person is a political committee; the name of and the political unit represented by the committee, the date of its receipt, the dollar amount of every expenditure, the name and address of the person to whom it was made or the name of and the political unit represented by the committee to which it was made and the date thereof, and shall state clearly the purpose of such expenditure. The requirement to include other identifi-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05598-01-9
S. 492 2
cation shall apply only with respect to a transfer or contribution from any one transferor or contributor which either results in the aggregate transfers or contributions from that one transferor or contributor exceeding the sum of ninety-nine dollars or is a transfer or contribution which occurs after such ninety-nine dollar threshold is reached. The other identification required with respect to an individual transferor or contributor shall be his or her occupation, employer and employer's address. The other identification required with respect to any partnership, committee, association, corporation, labor organization or other organization or group of persons shall be its full name and address. Any statement reporting a loan shall have attached to it a copy of the evidence of indebtedness. Expenditures in sums under fifty dollars need not be specifically accounted for by separate items in said statements, and receipts and contributions aggregating not more than ninety-nine dollars, from any one contributor need not be specifically accounted for by separate items in said statements, provided however, that such expenditures, receipts and contributions shall be subject to the other provisions of section 14-118 of this article.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of December next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the election law, in relation to requiring additional transferor and contributor identification informa- tion in campaign receipt and expenditure statements
Purpose
This bill would require a political committee to disclose a contribu- tor's occupation, employer and full name and address.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill would amend subdivision 1 of section 14-102 of the election law, as amended by chapter 8 of the laws of 1978 and as redes- ignated by chapter 9 of the laws of 1978, to require a political commit- tee to disclose additional information regarding contributors who give $100 or more to a political committee. For individual contributors giving $100 or more, the contributor's occupation, employer, and employ- er's address would be required. For organizational contributors deline- ated in the amended text, the additional information would be the full name and address of the organization.
Section 2 of the bill establishes the effective date.
Justification
Campaign fundraising practices are having a corrosive effect on the public's confidence in the integrity of government. Too often, citizens feel that their individual votes are of little consequence. The cumula- tive impact is a significant threat to the fundamental values of democ- racy. A fundamental component of campaign finance laws is that campaign committees must disclose the identity of contributors. The rationale is that public awareness of who has contributed may reduce the possibility of elected officials favoring contributors. Requiring that significant contributors disclose their occupations and employers is necessary to ensure that contributors are adequately identified and to provide the public with additional information that may be useful in assessing where a contributor's interests may lie-and how an elected official might favor that contributor. The additional identification information required by the bill is the same as is required under federal law for contributions to federal political committees.
Legislative history
2013-2014: S941/ No Same as 2015-2016: S1360/ A7321 Pichardo 2017-2018: S1218/ A5898 Pichardo
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of December next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.