Lawmakers Pass Bill to Force Trump to Release Tax Returns or Be Left Off Ballot [View all]
Source: Law & Crime
by Ronn Blitzer | 8:37 am, February 22nd, 2019
Ever since President Donald Trump was campaigning going into the 2016 election, people have called for him to release his tax returns, a tradition followed by candidates for decades. It never came to pass, with Trump claiming he was under audit. Now, as the country prepares for the next election cycle, lawmakers in New Jersey are trying to force Trump’s hand with an ultimatum: turn over the tax returns, or be left off the ballot.
The State Senate passed a bill on Thursday that would require presidential and vice presidential candidates to release their tax returns for the previous five years—at least 50 days before the general election—in order to qualify to have their names on the ballot. The bill says that they would have to file copies with the Division of Elections in the Department of State, and also consent to having them made public. The Division of Elections would then post them online within seven days of receiving them. The bill does allow for redactions to be made, where the Division and State Attorney General deem appropriate. The bill, known as S-119, also aims to block a loophole by preventing the state’s electors from going off on their own and voting for someone who doesn’t comply.
“An elector shall not vote for a candidate for President or Vice-President of the United States, unless the candidate had filed, or caused to be filed, the candidate’s federal income tax return in accordance with [the bill],” it says.
The bill says it would go into effect immediately, upon being signed into law, to ensure that it applies to the next presidential election.
Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/lawmakers-pass-bill-to-force-trump-to-release-tax-returns-or-be-left-off-ballot/
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