An Act relative to transparent political campaigning

This Massachusetts bill (HD 2561) requires transparency in political text-based communications. It mandates that entities (like corporations or groups) sending SMS, MMS, or similar text messages for electioneering within 90 days of an election must include a disclosure statement identifying the paying entity, the phrase "Top Contributors," and listing the top 5 contributors who gave over $1,000 in the past year. Excluded from this requirement are news stories, messages to fewer than 100 people, membership communications, and email or internet ads not paid as advertisements. The disclosure must also include a link to the state's campaign finance website.