Massachusetts Senate Passes Campaign Finance Transparency Bill 38-0, Bans Pay-Per-Signature

BOSTON — January 15, 2026 — The Massachusetts Senate passed a sweeping ballot question campaign finance transparency bill 38 to 0 on January 15. Senate Bill 2898, "An Act Improving Campaign Finance Reporting by State Ballot Question Committees," was amended on the floor to include a ban on pay-per-signature arrangements for ballot petition gatherers, offered by Senator Barry R. Finegold, which passed 34 to 3 after Finegold cited recent fraud allegations tied to the recreational cannabis repeal petition drive. A retroactive reporting requirement and emergency preamble amendment by Senator Sal N. DiDomenico, ensuring the law takes effect on the governor's signature, also passed by voice vote. An amendment by Senator Lydia Edwards that would have permitted removal of a ballot question from the ballot for repeated finance violations was withdrawn; Edwards said constitutional questions made the enforcement mechanism unworkable at this time. The Senate separately passed 38 to 0 a bill creating free Blue Star Family specialty license plates for relatives of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, taken up the same day as the funeral of Uxbridge Officer Steven Laporta, killed January 7.