House approves bill to enforce campaign‑finance filing deadlines, require inspections and publish delinquents

House Bill 147, introduced on Feb. 1 by Representative Jones, would tighten enforcement of existing campaign‑finance reporting rules by expanding the lieutenant governor’s oversight and introducing public notice for delinquent filers.

‘‘The purpose, of course, is to allow the public to know who is financing the campaigns for various candidates,’’ Jones said in introducing the measure. He described three key enforcement steps: a requirement that the lieutenant governor inspect all campaign financial reports within five days of filing; an authority to require compliance when reports are missing or deficient; and a requirement that, within 48 hours of the general‑election filing deadline, the lieutenant governor publish in a statewide newspaper the names and offices of candidates who failed to file.

Representative Barr offered an amendment that would bar a candidate from filing for another office until overdue reports were submitted; the amendment was considered and failed in floor voting. Jones urged support, saying the provision ‘‘will hopefully put teeth into the law’’ and that the lieutenant governor’s office had indicated operational support.

The bill received a recorded vote on the floor and, as announced by the presiding officer, was passed by the House and referred to the Senate for further consideration.

Next steps: HB147 was referred to the Utah Senate. Any implementation would require rules and administrative procedures developed by the lieutenant governor’s office to carry out inspections and the proposed publication requirement.