Compliance Notes - Vol. 7, Issue 2

RECENT LOBBYING, ETHICS & CAMPAIGN FINANCE UPDATES

Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance

Massachusetts: The Massachusetts senate unanimously passed a bill expanding disclosure requirements for statewide ballot question campaigns, requiring monthly financial reports and biweekly filings after September 2026 to close what lawmakers call a long-standing reporting "blackout period." The legislation, which includes an emergency preamble to take effect immediately, would require ballot committees to file reports with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance and disclose information from the financial institutions holding campaign funds, aiming to cover a potentially-record slate of 2026 ballot questions. Senators rejected an amendment to extend similar disclosure rules to local ballot initiatives, citing unresolved impacts on municipal reporting systems, but adopted a separate amendment requiring paid signature gatherers to disclose their status and banning