TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Loretta Weinberg which would require public disclosure of campaign contributions and expenditures made and received by those seeking a leadership position within a political party committee was approved today by the Senate State Government Committee.
““The approval of this legislation would put us one step closer to full disclosure of all campaign contributions,” said Senator Weinberg, D-Bergen. “This closes a campaign finance loophole. Right now, party officers can raise and spend undisclosed money in any way they choose. And in some areas, it is the intra-party elections that matter most. When a candidate is running for any elected position, the public has a right to know who donates to that campaign, as well as who the candidate supports financially.”
Under Senator Weinberg’s bill, S-2235, campaign treasurers would be responsible for submitting to the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) the full reports of all contributions and expenditures paid out of election funds. Each report would contain the date of each transaction, and the name and occupation of each donor/recipient, including the mailing address of their employer. ELEC would then be responsible for overseeing the disclosure, much in the same manner and using the same timetable as they do for current candidates seeing public office.
This measure now heads to the full Senate for approval.
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