This bill mandates that all political committees must file an electronic confirmation notice with the Secretary of State's office to certify whether they have expended or received more than $1,000 in the prior election cycle. The new legal language inserted into the current law specifies that political committees not subject to a registration fee under RSA 664:3 will have their registration automatically renewed if they have any outstanding debt, obligation, or surplus following the election cycle. Additionally, political committees that report a zero balance and notify the Secretary of State that they are filing their final statement will expire, while statements must continue to be filed until a zero balance is reported.

The bill does not provide funding or authorize new positions, but it is estimated to incur costs of $30,000 to $50,000 for the Department of State to update the campaign finance system to accommodate the new electronic confirmation notices. The effective date of the act is set for 60 days after its passage.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 664:6
HB1081 text: 664:6