Elections transparency bill heads to governor’s desk

House Bill 2505 , a move to end “dark money” campaign spending in Oregon, passed the state Senate unanimously Tuesday and now goes to Gov. Kate Brown for her signature.

Rep. Nancy Nathanson (D-Eugene) was the chief co-sponsor of the legislation with Sen. Brian Boquist (R-Dallas).

“This legislation will shine a light on the dark money that is spent in our state during campaign season,” Rep. Nathanson said. “I am proud of the work we have done to give Oregonians the transparency they need and deserve.”

Right now, individuals or groups can disseminate information about a candidate leading up to an election, and as long as their materials do not clearly state support or opposition using specific words like “elect” or “vote for” or “vote against,” they don’t have to report their spending.

The legislation is designed to increase transparency by requiring the reporting of communications (of an aggregate $750 or more) that refer to a candidate within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election.

The bill changes some existing reporting requirements to include selected and targeted communications about candidates that don’t necessarily advocate directly for or against the candidate. That means that ads, mailers, billboards, etc. referring to a candidate on the ballot would be considered campaign materials if they’re produced during a campaign season.

Once signed, Oregon will be the third state, joining California and Montana, to have an expanded definition of “communication” under its independent expenditure law.