Question of the day
Wednesday, Feb 7, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* From the National Conference of State Legislatures…
All 50 states introduced 612 campaign finance bills in 2023, and 27 states enacted 62 measures. Highlighted below are the 2023 campaign finance enactments, with summaries of laws relating to contributions, disclosures, public financing, excess funds, crimes and penalties, and independent expenditures.
The sections below are organized by topic, with a list of state enactments at the bottom. For detailed information on all campaign finance legislation, including pending bills, please see the Campaign Finance Legislation Database.
Key Takeaways
Maine S 284 and Rhode Island S 846/ H 5962 increased their individual contribution limits for legislative candidates.
Hawaii passed more campaign finance bills than any other state, with 12 bills that cover campaign finance reports and crimes.
Kansas S 208 explicitly allows campaign funds to be used for legal fees, a topic that has received significant attention in recent years.
Mississippi H 1306 builds on a trend from 2022 in which candidates are prohibited from running for office if they fail to file certain reports.
Arkansas H 1756, Hawaii H 463 and Rhode Island RI S 846/RI H 5962, among others, raised disclosure thresholds, removing smaller donations from disclosure requirements.
Click here to read the full report.
The Question: What campaign finance legislation would you like to see? Explain.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 12:20 pm:
No dark money or corporate donations.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 12:21 pm:
Please explain. Thanks.
- Scottie - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 12:29 pm:
No transfers between campaign committees. Don’t obscure the donor-recipient connection by running it through intermediaries. This could also help decentralize power so members aren’t beholden to leaders as directly.
- Donnie Elgin - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 12:58 pm:
Lift the disclosure of contributions from the current value in excess of $150 to $300.00
- Anyone Remember - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 1:00 pm:
Real-time reporting on all contributions, including name(s), location, etc. Intermediaries would also have to real-time report said information, all the through the daisy chain back to the original contributor.
- Mister Ed - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 1:13 pm:
No corporate donations. If this issue is reined in, the people would have more power. Now it seems, politicians only vote for the corporations that fund them the most. Our donations of a few dollars or more cannot compete with those that give thousands. Donations shouldn’t be used for legal fees as well. It would be an incentive to be more morally and ethically responsible.
- NotRich - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 1:31 pm:
Candidates can no longer take contributions from registered lobbyists. The folks at 219 will soon start trying to tie the two actions to votes taken.
- Unionman - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 1:49 pm:
Full disclosure of all donors to PACs no matter the dollar value donated; Full disclosure of membership of groups which lobby (ie. business associations that wish to lobby or hire someone to lobby on their behalf will have to fully disclose who their membership is prior to being permitted to lobby.)
Express prohibition on using campaign funds for legal fees unless they directly relate to ballot access.
- Squirrel - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 2:00 pm:
Seeing all of the great ideas that are already listed, my grand dream is publicly funded elections. Politicians would succeed only based on their policies and the ability to communicate them.
- City Zen - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 2:25 pm:
Contributions from union-related affiliates count towards one contribution limit. In other words, CTU/IFT/AFT count as one donor.
Same for LLCs. If ten nursing homes are under the same ownership, one max contribution limit for all ten combined.
==No dark money==
Like the Fight Back Fund? That’s pretty dark.
==or corporate donations==
Like law firms? Labor unions? Because they’re the big players in the state. It’s not like Comcast or Abbott Labs are buying anyone.
- Hannibal Lecter - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 2:28 pm:
I just wish legislators would stop tinkering with the Election Code. Many of their ideas don’t accomplish what they claim it does.
- Hannibal Lecter - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 2:34 pm:
=== my grand dream is publicly funded elections. ===
And where would the money come from? And why should taxpayer money be wasted on political advertising?
- sal-says - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 2:34 pm:
Repeal Citizen United. Companies are not individual people.
- Hannibal Lecter - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 3:35 pm:
=== Repeal Citizen United. ===
Congress can’t just “repeal” Citizen’s United. It is a Supreme Court case dealing with the First Amendment. They would have to amend the Constitution to do that. And there is no way the Supreme Court will overturn that decision with the current composition of the Court.
By the way, elections is not the only space where corporations are considered a “person”. Just saying.
- Odysseus - Wednesday, Feb 7, 24 @ 3:39 pm:
Repeal Citizens United. Robust public funding.