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By Mr. Kaufman of Lexington, petition (accompanied by resolve, House, No. 668) of Jay R. Kaufman and others for an investigation by a special commission (including members of the General Court) relative to the impact of campaign financing on citizen participation in politics and the number of candidates for political office. Election Laws. |
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PETITION OF:
Alice K. Wolf
Peter V. Kocot
Matthew C. Patrick
Bruce E. Tarr
Carl M. Sciortino, Jr.
John W. Scibak
Alice Hanlon Peisch
William Lantigua
Stephen Kulik
Resolved, There is hereby established a special commission to study the financing of political campaigns, the impact thereof on citizen participation in politics and on the number of candidates running for political office, and to make recommendations to the Governor and to the General court as to what laws, regulations, or programs should be enacted to address these or other issues identified by the commission.
The commission shall consist of the Governor and/or his designee who shall serve as chair, two members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, the Secretary of the Commonwealth or his designee, the Director of the Office of Campaign Finance or his designee, and six members named by the Governor, including one selected from a list submitted by the Democratic Party, one selected from a list submitted by the Republican party, one selected from a list submitted by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, and one selected from a list submitted by Common Cause of Massachusetts.
The commission shall address questions including but not limited to: What are the problems associated with the current method of funding political campaigns? What reforms have been tried in the Commonwealth and elsewhere to address those problems and to what extent have they been successful in doing so? What programs, laws, or regulations should be implemented to address current inadequacies, if any? What would be the cost associated with any recommended strategies, and how should they be funded? How should the impact and effectiveness of any proposed action be measured?
The commission shall file its report and recommendations, if any, with the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House by December 15, 2007.