(a) The State Elections Enforcement Commission shall (1) create a software program or programs for the preparation of financial disclosure statements required by section 9-608, and (2) prescribe the standard reporting format and specifications for other software programs created by vendors for such purpose. No software program created by a vendor may be used for the electronic submission of such financial disclosure statements, until the commission determines that the program provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed under subdivision (2) of this subsection for vendor software programs. The commission shall provide training in the use of the software program or programs created by the commission.

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(b) The treasurer of the candidate committee for each candidate for nomination or election to the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, State Treasurer or Secretary of the State who raises or spends two hundred fifty thousand dollars or more during an election campaign shall file in electronic form all financial disclosure statements required by section 9-608 by either transmitting disks, tapes or other electronic storage media containing the contents of such statements to the State Elections Enforcement Commission or transmitting the statements on-line to said commission. Each such treasurer shall use either (1) a software program created by the commission under subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements, or (2) another software program which provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed by the commission under subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements. The commission shall accept any statement that uses any such software program. Once any such candidate committee has raised or spent two hundred fifty thousand dollars or more during an election campaign, all previously filed statements required by said section 9-608, which were not filed in electronic form shall be refiled in such form, using such a software program, not later than the date on which the treasurer of the committee is required to file the next regular statement under said section 9-608.

(c) (1) The treasurer of the candidate committee for any other candidate, as defined in section 9-601, who is required to file the financial disclosure statements required by section 9-608 with the commission, and (2) the treasurer of any political committee or party committee, may file in electronic form any financial disclosure statements required by said section 9-608. Such filings may be made by either transmitting disks, tapes or other electronic storage media containing the contents of such statements to the proper authority under section 9-603 or transmitting the statements on-line to such proper authority. Each such treasurer shall use either (A) a software program created by the commission under subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements filed in electronic form, or (B) another software program which provides for the standard reporting format, and complies with the specifications, which are prescribed by the commission under subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, for all such statements filed in electronic form. The proper authority under section 9-603 shall accept any statement that uses any such software program.