The Vermont Senate might soon scrap the Green Mountain State’s campaign finance law in its entirety in favor of new legislation.  The pending bill would change contribution limits, increase reporting frequency, and require groups paying for electioneering communications to disclose their major donors.  The ambitious bill, which is making its way through the state senate, appears to have bipartisan support.

Among the changes, the current iteration of the bill:

  • Removes an important exception that allows Federal PACs contributing to Vermont candidates to comply with state reporting requirements by filing copies of their FEC reports with the state.
  • Requires political committees to file quarterly reports in off-years and, in election years, monthly reports through July 15, bi-monthly reports through the election, and post-election reports.  This nearly triples the number of reports required under current law.
  • Imposes additional reporting requirements for groups funding mass media communications that refer to candidates within the 45 days preceding an election, regardless of the content of the communication.
  • Sets forth biennial contribution limits of $25,000 to candidates and $25,000 to political committees and parties.
  • Imposes increased reporting requirements for those making electioneering communications, including requiring disclosure of the names of those who contributed more than 25 percent of all contributions to the committee making the expenditure.

The new law also imposes a $3,000 limit on single source contributions to political committees, including state Super PACs.  In a creative bit of legislating designed to avoid constitutional challenge, however, those limits apply only if, in pending litigation, federal courts conclude that such limits are constitutional.

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Photo of Zachary G. Parks Zachary G. Parks

Zachary Parks advises corporations, trade associations, campaigns, and high-net worth individuals on their most important and challenging political law problems.

Chambers USA describes Zachary as “highly regarded by his clients in the political law arena,” noting that clients praised him as their “go-to outside…

Zachary Parks advises corporations, trade associations, campaigns, and high-net worth individuals on their most important and challenging political law problems.

Chambers USA describes Zachary as “highly regarded by his clients in the political law arena,” noting that clients praised him as their “go-to outside attorney for election law, campaign finance, pay-to-play and PAC issues.” Zachary is also a leading lawyer in the emerging corporate political disclosure field, regularly advising corporations on these issues.

Zachary’s expertise includes the Federal Election Campaign Act, the Lobbying Disclosure Act, the Ethics in Government Act, the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s pay-to-play rules. He has also helped clients comply with the election and political laws of all 50 states. Zachary also frequently leads political law due diligence for investment firms and corporations during mergers and acquisitions.

He routinely advises corporations and corporate executives on instituting political law compliance programs and conducts compliance training for senior corporate executives and lobbyists. He also has extensive experience conducting corporate internal investigations concerning campaign finance and lobbying law compliance and has defended his political law clients in investigations by the Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, Congressional committees, and in litigation.

Zachary is also the founder and chair of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society’s Political and Election Law Section.

Zachary also has extensive complex litigation experience, having litigated major environmental claims, class actions, and multi-district proceedings for financial institutions, corporations, and public entities.

From 2005 to 2006, Zachary was a law clerk for Judge Thomas B. Griffith on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.