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Treasurers, Public Disclosure Commission differ on narrow change to campaign reporting deadlines
Summary
House Bill 17 82 would move several pre‑election campaign‑finance filing dates by 24 hours and change the reporting lookback from one business day to two, a change treasurers support for accuracy while the Public Disclosure Commission urged a broader reform of reporting dates.
The committee heard testimony on House Bill 17 82, which would change several pre‑election campaign-reporting deadlines. The bill would move deadlines now framed as the ‘‘21st and 7th day’’ reporting windows to a 20th- and 6th-day schedule and require reports to include contributions and expenditures made as of the end of two business days before a report, rather than one business day.
Representative Matt Marshall (state Representative, Second District), the bill’s sponsor, said treasurers requested the change to reduce last‑minute amended filings and to improve the accuracy of the initial reports. ‘‘This will give a little of that little extra buffer,’’ he said, adding the intent is for ‘‘accurate information that was available on the initial report rather than having to rely on amendments.’’
Professional treasurers backed the change. Connor Edwards, a professional campaign treasurer, told the committee the extra 24 hours ‘‘is not a controversial’’ request and would align Washington closer with other jurisdictions, giving treasurers needed time to gather late information. Jason McCawd (testimony) echoed that the additional day would reduce the number of amended reports.
Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) view: Sean Flynn, general counsel for the PDC, said the PDC had included a similar change in multi‑issue request legislation in prior sessions and that the commission wants a comprehensive reconsideration of reporting dates tied to vote‑by‑mail patterns and transparency goals. Flynn cautioned that moving reporting dates without a broader recalibration could shift information closer to the election and reduce public and media time to digest filings.
Procedure and next steps: The committee closed the public hearing; no committee vote was taken. PDC said the commission plans to discuss the reporting schedule at an upcoming meeting and invited treasurers to participate.
Ending: The committee received bipartisan testimony: treasurers emphasized accuracy and administrative relief; the PDC urged a broader review to preserve public transparency before making isolated changes.
