FIRST REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE BILL NO. 643

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE KANDER.

1388L.01I D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk

AN ACT

To repeal sections 130.041 and 130.057, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections relating to campaign finance disclosures.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:

Section A. Sections 130.041 and 130.057, RSMo, are repealed and two new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 130.041 and 130.057, to read as follows:

130.041. 1. Except as provided in subsection 5 of section 130.016, the candidate, if applicable, treasurer or deputy treasurer of every committee which is required to file a statement of organization, shall file a legibly printed or typed disclosure report of receipts and expenditures. The reports shall be filed with the appropriate officer designated in section 130.026 at the times and for the periods prescribed in section 130.046. Except as provided in sections 130.049 and 130.050, each report shall set forth:

(1) The full name, as required in the statement of organization pursuant to subsection 5 of section 130.021, and mailing address of the committee filing the report and the full name, mailing address and telephone number of the committee's treasurer and deputy treasurer if the committee has named a deputy treasurer;

(2) The amount of money, including cash on hand at the beginning of the reporting period;

(3) Receipts for the period, including:

(a) Total amount of all monetary contributions received which can be identified in the committee's records by name and address of each contributor. The name of any registered lobbyist, as defined in section 105.470, RSMo, who contributes to the committee shall be disclosed, and such individual's occupation shall be designated as "registered lobbyist". In addition, the candidate committee shall make a reasonable effort to obtain and report the employer, or occupation if self-employed or notation of retirement, of each person from whom the committee received one or more contributions which in the aggregate total in excess of one hundred dollars and shall make a reasonable effort to obtain and report a description of any contractual relationship over five hundred dollars between the contributor and the state if the candidate is seeking election to a state office or between the contributor and any political subdivision of the state if the candidate is seeking election to another political subdivision of the state;

(b) Total amount of all anonymous contributions accepted;

(c) Total amount of all monetary contributions received through fund-raising events or activities from participants whose names and addresses were not obtained with such contributions, with an attached statement or copy of the statement describing each fund-raising event as required in subsection 6 of section 130.031;

(d) Total dollar value of all in-kind contributions received;

(e) A separate listing by name and address and employer, or occupation if self-employed or notation of retirement, of each person from whom the committee received contributions, in money or any other thing of value, aggregating more than one hundred dollars, together with the date and amount of each such contribution. The name of each registered lobbyist, as defined in section 105.470, RSMo, shall be listed, and the employer disclosure shall identify each such individual as a registered lobbyist;

(f) A listing of each loan received by name and address of the lender and date and amount of the loan. For each loan of more than one hundred dollars, a separate statement shall be attached setting forth the name and address of the lender and each person liable directly, indirectly or contingently, and the date, amount and terms of the loan;

(4) Expenditures for the period, including:

(a) The total dollar amount of expenditures made by check drawn on the committee's depository;

(b) The total dollar amount of expenditures made in cash;

(d) The full name and mailing address of each person to whom an expenditure of money or any other thing of value in the amount of more than one hundred dollars has been made, contracted for or incurred, together with the date, amount and purpose of each expenditure. Expenditures of one hundred dollars or less may be grouped and listed by categories of expenditure showing the total dollar amount of expenditures in each category, except that the report shall contain an itemized listing of each payment made to campaign workers by name, address, date, amount and purpose of each payment and the aggregate amount paid to each such worker;

(e) A list of each loan made, by name and mailing address of the person receiving the loan, together with the amount, terms and date;

(5) The total amount of cash on hand as of the closing date of the reporting period covered, including amounts in depository accounts and in petty cash fund;

(6) The total amount of outstanding indebtedness as of the closing date of the reporting period covered;

(7) The amount of expenditures for or against a candidate or ballot measure during the period covered and the cumulative amount of expenditures for or against that candidate or ballot measure, with each candidate being listed by name, mailing address and office sought. For the purpose of disclosure reports, expenditures made in support of more than one candidate or ballot measure or both shall be apportioned reasonably among the candidates or ballot measure or both. In apportioning expenditures to each candidate or ballot measure, political party committees and continuing committees need not include expenditures for maintaining a permanent office, such as expenditures for salaries of regular staff, office facilities and equipment or other expenditures not designed to support or oppose any particular candidates or ballot measures; however, all such expenditures shall be listed pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection;

(8) A separate listing by full name and address of any committee including a candidate committee controlled by the same candidate for which a transfer of funds or a contribution in any amount has been made during the reporting period, together with the date and amount of each such transfer or contribution;

(9) A separate listing by full name and address of any committee, including a candidate committee controlled by the same candidate from which a transfer of funds or a contribution in any amount has been received during the reporting period, together with the date and amount of each such transfer or contribution;

(10) Each committee that receives a contribution which is restricted or designated in whole or in part by the contributor for transfer to a particular candidate, committee or other person shall include a statement of the name and address of that contributor in the next disclosure report required to be filed after receipt of such contribution, together with the date and amount of any such contribution which was so restricted or designated by that contributor, together with the name of the particular candidate or committee to whom such contribution was so designated or restricted by that contributor and the date and amount of such contribution.

2. For the purpose of this section and any other section in this chapter except sections 130.049 and 130.050 which requires a listing of each contributor who has contributed a specified amount, the aggregate amount shall be computed by adding all contributions received from any one person during the following periods:

(1) In the case of a candidate committee, the period shall begin on the date on which the candidate became a candidate according to the definition of the term "candidate" in section 130.011 and end at 11:59 p.m. on the day of the primary election, if the candidate has such an election or at 11:59 p.m. on the day of the general election. If the candidate has a general election held after a primary election, the next aggregating period shall begin at 12:00 midnight on the day after the primary election day and shall close at 11:59 p.m. on the day of the general election. Except that for contributions received during the thirty-day period immediately following a primary election, the candidate shall designate whether such contribution is received as a primary election contribution or a general election contribution;

(2) In the case of a campaign committee, the period shall begin on the date the committee received its first contribution and end on the closing date for the period for which the report or statement is required;

(3) In the case of a political party committee or a continuing committee, the period shall begin on the first day of January of the year in which the report or statement is being filed and end on the closing date for the period for which the report or statement is required; except, if the report or statement is required to be filed prior to the first day of July in any given year, the period shall begin on the first day of July of the preceding year.

3. The disclosure report shall be signed and attested by the committee treasurer or deputy treasurer and by the candidate in case of a candidate committee.

4. The words "consulting or consulting services, fees, or expenses", or similar words, shall not be used to describe the purpose of a payment as required in this section. The reporting of any payment to such an independent contractor shall be on a form supplied by the appropriate officer, established by the ethics commission and shall include identification of the specific service or services provided including, but not limited to, public opinion polling, research on issues or opposition background, print or broadcast media production, print or broadcast media purchase, computer programming or data entry, direct mail production, postage, rent, utilities, phone solicitation, or fund raising, and the dollar amount prorated for each service.

130.057. 1. In order for candidates for election and public officials to more easily file reports required by law and to access information contained in such reports, and for the Missouri ethics commission to receive and store reports in an efficient and economical method, and for the general public and news media to access information contained in such reports, the commission shall establish and maintain an electronic reporting system pursuant to this section. 2. The ethics commission may establish for elections in 1996 and shall establish for elections and all required reporting beginning in 1998 and maintain thereafter a state campaign finance and financial interest disclosure electronic reporting system pursuant to this section for all candidates required to file. The system may be used for the collection, filing and dissemination of all reports, including monthly lobbying reports filed by law, and all reports filed with the commission pursuant to this chapter and chapter 105, RSMo. The system may be established and used for all reports required to be filed for the primary and general elections in 1996 and all elections thereafter, except that the system may require maintenance of a paper backup system for the primary and general elections in 1996. The reports shall be maintained and secured in the electronic format by the commission.

3. When the commission determines that the electronic reporting system has been properly implemented, the commission shall certify to all candidates and committees required to file pursuant to this chapter that such electronic reporting system has been established and implemented. Beginning with the primary and general elections in 2000, or the next primary or general election in which the commission has made certification pursuant to this subsection, whichever is later, candidates and all other committees shall file reports by using either the electronic format prescribed by the commission or paper forms provided by the commission for that purpose. Continuing committees shall file reports by electronic format prescribed by the commission, except continuing committees which make contributions equal to or less than fifteen thousand dollars in the applicable calendar year. Any continuing committee which makes contributions in support of or opposition to any measure or candidate equal to or less than fifteen thousand dollars in the applicable calendar year shall file reports on paper forms provided by the commission for that purpose or by electronic format prescribed by the commission, whichever reporting method the continuing committee chooses. The commission shall supply a computer program which shall be used for filing by modem or by a common magnetic media chosen by the commission. In the event that filings are performed electronically, the candidate shall file a signed original written copy within five working days; except that, if a means becomes available which will allow a verifiable electronic signature, the commission may also accept this in lieu of a written statement.

4. Beginning January 1, 2000, or on the date the commission makes the certification pursuant to subsection 3 of this section, whichever is later, all reports filed with the commission by any candidate for a statewide office, or such candidate's committee, shall be filed in electronic format as prescribed by the commission; provided however, that if a candidate for statewide office, or such candidate's committee receives or spends five thousand dollars or less for any reporting period, the report for that reporting period shall not be required to be filed electronically.

5. A copy of all reports filed in the state campaign finance electronic reporting system shall be placed on a public electronic access system so that the general public may have open access to the reports filed pursuant to this section. The access system shall be organized and maintained in such a manner to allow an individual to obtain information concerning all contributions made to or on behalf of, and all expenditures made on behalf of, any public official described in subsection 2 of this section in formats that will include both written and electronically readable formats.

6. All records that are in electronic format, not otherwise closed by law, shall be available in electronic format to the public. The commission shall maintain and provide for public inspection, a listing of all reports with a complete description for each field contained on the report, that has been used to extract information from their database files. The commission shall develop a report or reports which contain every field in each database.

7. Annually, the commission shall provide, without cost, a system-wide dump of information contained in the commission's electronic database files to the general assembly. The information is to be copied onto a medium specified by the general assembly. Such information shall not contain records otherwise closed by law. It is the intent of the general assembly to provide open access to the commission's records. The commission shall make every reasonable effort to comply with requests for information and shall take a liberal interpretation when considering such requests.

8. The commission shall make lobbyist principal, as such term is defined in section 105.470, RSMo, and employer information available to the general public in an easily accessible electronic format by linking such information to the electronic format of the disclosure reports required under section 130.041.

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