Secretary of State Michael Watson said that while this was done with the best intentions, the transfer of authority has created more problems than solutions.īeginning in 2017, the Elections Division of the Secretary of State’s Office has documented hundreds of candidates and elected officials who failed to comply with campaign finance laws, resulting in more than $100,000 of unpaid fees. In 2017, the Mississippi Legislature transferred the penalty assessment authority to the Ethics Commission. In the past, the authority to assess campaign finance civil penalties has rested with the Secretary of State’s Office. The bill allowed for an appeal procedure for those candidates who are assessed a civil penalty by the Secretary of State. On April 21, 2022, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves vetoed Senate Bill 2306, which sought to transfer the authority of the Mississippi Ethics Commission to assess a civil penalty against any candidate or political committee for failure to file a report to the Secretary of State.Īuthored by State Senator Jeff Tate, Senate Bill 2306 would have also deleted the provisions that provide for a hearing for a candidate or political committee before the State Board of Election Commissioners.

SB 2306 had unanimous support in both the Mississippi House and Senate.