Governor Jack Markell signed three bills into law in an attempt to shine more light onto the state’s lobbyist and campaign finance reports.

Senate Bill 185 requires lobbyists to report any direct communication with a public official concerning a bill, resolution, or regulation pending before the general assembly or a state agency. The report will be due within five days of the first direct communication by the lobbyist. The bill also makes electronic registration and reporting mandatory for lobbyists. The new law will go into effect on January 1, 2013.

House Bill 300 requires a political committee to register within 24 hours after it receives any contribution or makes any expenditure that would cause the aggregate contributions or expenditures to exceed $500 during an election period. It will also increase disclosure and reporting requirements for campaign and third-party advertisements. These new requirements will go into effect June 30, 2013.

House Bill 310 increases the penalties and the number of people who can be penalized for late, incomplete, or missing campaign finance reports. These new penalties will go into effect immediately.