Tester’s Bill to Shine Light on Campaigns Passes Senate

Senator’s Bill Will Increase Transparency and Save Taxpayer Money

(U.S. Senate) – The U.S. Senate today passed U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s bill to shine light on campaigns and increase transparency in elections.

Tester’s bipartisan Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act will require candidates to electronically file financial disclosures with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), making them immediately available to the public.

Senate candidates currently file financial disclosures with the Secretary of the Senate on paper, which then have to be scanned into an electronic format. This costly process often takes months.

As a champion of transparency, Tester voluntarily files all of his quarterly FEC reports online.

“Montanans deserve to know who’s funding our elections,” Tester said. “It’s high time we shine some light on the money flowing into campaigns and bring our election system into the 21st Century.”

Candidates for the House of Representatives and President already file electronically, or e-file, and the Federal Election Commission estimates requiring Senate candidates to do the same will save taxpayers nearly $900,000 per year.

Tester has been a longtime champion for transparency. He is sponsoring multiple bills to increase transparency in political campaigns and was the first Senator in history to post his daily public schedule online.

Tester’s Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act passed the Senate as part of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill in an 86-5 vote.