State lawmakers again attempt campaign finance fix
by admin on 03/03/10 at 7:15 am
The Charleston Gazette
By The Associated Press
March 3, 2010
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Attempts to expand campaign finance rules have twice fallen short, but West Virginia lawmakers are trying again — and this time they hope to bring shareholders along with them.
The House of Delegates passed a pair of measures this week that would change how money is spent on political campaigns, and how much information the spenders have to reveal publicly about themselves.
Senate leaders say they will push for passage of at least one of the bills. National advocacy groups say both measures reflect good practices in the wake of January’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opens the door to greater campaign spending by corporations and unions.
While he has yet to review the details in each bill, Gov. Joe Manchin generally supports efforts to improve transparency for voters and shareholders, spokesman Matt Turner said Tuesday.
“He thinks that’s the responsible way to look at that,” Turner said.
But the mostly party-line votes that advanced the bills Monday came after House Republicans argued that both violate political speech rights. The bill that seeks to enlist shareholder rights in the bid for greater disclosure, meanwhile, is uncharted territory not only for West Virginia but nationally.
That bill would require corporations based in West Virginia to disclose to shareholders what they spend on campaigns. It would also require a majority of shareholders voting to accept such spending.
