Page 2 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, JAnuARy 23, 2026 BILL | FROM PAGE 1 are a great tool for empowering the public to vote directly on statewide policies, but it is vitally important that our voters know which people and organizations are funding these policy proposals,” said Senator DiDomenico, who is lead sponsor of the bill. “I am proud to pass my legislation through the Senate that will close a loophole in our campaign fi nance law and ensure our residents have all the information they need to make an educated decision when voting on ballot measures.” “When you go to the ballot box, you deserve to know who is behind each initiative 8 Norwood St. Everett (617) 387-9810 Open Tues. - Sat. at 4:00 PM Closed Sun. & Mon. Announcing our Classic Specials Dine In Only: * FREE Salad with purchase of Entree, Tuesdays & Wednesdays * Cheese Pizza - Only $10 Catch ALL The Live Sports Action On Our Large Screen TV’s Scan & Follow Us on Facebook! and to make your own judgment about whether those efforts serve the greater good of our Commonwealth or the personal interests of special interest groups,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “As elected leaders, we hold ourselves to this standard of transparency and accountability, and this legislation ensures that every measure on the ballot is held to that same standard. I commend Chair Rodrigues and Chair Keenan for their work on this bill and applaud Senator DiDomenico for his leadership as the lead sponsor.” “Massachusetts voters deserve to know, in real time, who is funding the ballot questions that will impact their lives. Under our current system, special interests can funnel millions of dollars behind issue campaigns without the public knowing for months.” said Common Cause Massachusetts Executive Director Geoff Foster. “The Senate’s passage of the Ballot Spending Transparency Act moves Massachusetts closer to a democracy where voters—not unknown special interests—decide our future.” The legislation—S.2898, An www.810bargrille.com Act improving campaign fi nance reporting by state ballot question committees—brings accountability to ballot question campaigns and holds them to the same standard of disclosure already followed by candidates for offi ce. The legislation would remedy a current void of nearly a year leading up to an Senator Sal DiDomenico speaks on the fl oor of the Mass. Senate in favor of his bill. (Courtesy photo) Senator Sal DiDomenico (center) celebrates the bill’s passage with Geoff Foster (right) and Dev Chatterjee (left) of Common Cause Massachusetts. election during which the ballot question campaigns are not required to report any fi nancial data in a timely manner. This month marks the start of the current eight-month period when ballot question committees are not required to regularly disclose any fi nancial updates. From now until September, voters will be hit with campaign ads and mail without knowing who is funding them. Senators voted to close that gap, requiring ballot campaigns to report at least monthly on their donors. The legislation was advanced to the full Senate on January 8, 2026, by a 15-0 vote of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, after a previous draft was reviewed and advanced in November by the Joint Committee on Election Laws. All committee votes are publicly available on the Legislature’s website. EVERETT ALUMINUM SUPPLIES 67 Years! — Vinyl Siding — Carpentry Work — Decks — Roofing — Free Estimates — Replacement Windows — Fully Licensed — Fully Insured
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