General Laws of Massachusetts - Chapter 55 Disclosure and Regulation of Campaign Expenditures and Contributions - Section 9 Contributions and expenditures over ; use of credit card by committee; penalties

Section 9. No individual, candidate or political committee, or person acting on behalf of said individual, candidate, or political committee, shall accept a contribution of money from any one person or political committee if the aggregate amount contributed in a calendar year exceeds $50 except by a written instrument or by direct deposit in accordance with section 9A. For the purposes of the preceding sentence the term “written instrument” shall mean a check on which the contributor is directly liable or which is written on a personal, escrow, trust, partnership, business or other account which represents or contains the contributor’s funds. The term “written instrument” shall also mean for contributions by credit or debit card, a paper record signed by the cardholder or, in the case of such contribution made over the Internet, an electronic record created and transmitted by the cardholder. The term “written instrument” shall not mean a certified check, cashier’s check, treasurer’s check, registered check, money order, traveler’s check or other similar negotiable instrument. The director shall establish reasonable rules and regulations concerning the making of contributions by a written instrument. No individual, candidate, political committee, or person acting on behalf of said individual, candidate, or political committee, shall make an expenditure for an amount exceeding $50 except by check or by credit card in accordance with the following paragraph.

A political committee may maintain and use a credit card, obtained in accordance with applicable banking laws and in the ordinary course of business, in order to make expenditures for the purpose for which said committee was organized, pursuant to the provisions of section six, but provided that no contribution of money may be accepted by any individual, candidate or political committee, or person acting on behalf of said individual, candidate or political committee, other than in accordance with the first paragraph of this section. The director shall establish reasonable rules and regulations concerning the use of such credit cards, and shall print and publish forms to provide for disclosure of said expenditures by credit card, to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.

Any individual or candidate, or any person acting on behalf of said individual or candidate, or on behalf of a political committee, who violates any provision of this section shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or both.

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Last modified: September 11, 2015