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House State Government Committee approves campaign finance reform bill

HARRISBURG, April 20 – The House State Government Committee has reported out a bill that would overhaul the state's campaign finance laws.

Introduced by Rep. Babette Josephs, chairwoman of the committee, the reform bill would set campaign contribution limits, increase fees for the late filing of campaign expense reports, require additional reports to be filed and require electronic filing of reports.

"In our democracy today, voter participation is at an all-time low. This isn't because voters are happy and content with the status quo, but because they feel that their votes can't compete with unlimited amounts of campaign contributions," Josephs said.

"Something has to be done to restore the people's faith in our political process. I believe comprehensive reform is part of the answer," she said.

Pennsylvania is one of only five states that has no contribution limits, and only limited disclosure.

As reported out, Josephs' bill (H.B. 2162) would:

· require all candidates and political committees to electronically file quarterly expense reports with the state in non-election years, and require General Assembly candidates to file an extra report six weeks before an election. All reports would be available online to the public;

· impose contribution limits for individuals, political party committees and political action committees

o from an individual to a:

§ candidate for General Assembly, court of common pleas, county or local office -- $2,000 per election

§ statewide candidate -- $5,000 per election

§ political action committee -- $5,000 per calendar year

§ political party committee -- $20,000 per election

o No individual would be able to contribute more than $25,000 per election.

o from a political action or candidate's committee to a:

§ candidate for General Assembly, court of common pleas, county or local office -- $2,000 per election

§ statewide candidate -- $10,000 per election

§ political action committee -- $5,000 per calendar year

§ political party committee -- $20,000 per election

o from a political party committee to a:

§ candidate for General Assembly, court of common pleas, county or local -- $5,000 per election

§ statewide candidate -- $100,000 per election

§ political action committee -- $20,000 per election

· define expenditure as a payment only for legitimate and verifiable campaign expenses, and not for any "inherently personal purpose," such as a home mortgage, rent or utility payment, clothing purchase, non-campaign vehicle expense, vacation or non-campaign trip, household food items or admission to a sporting event, concert or theater;

· increase the report late filing fee from $10 to $20 for the first 10 days and an additional $50 fee for each day thereafter, with the maximum fee for a single report set at $1,000; and

· require the secretary of the Commonwealth to develop a computer database and electronic reporting system for campaign contributions and expenditures, which would be available to the public, and establish a training program for the system.

"Restoring public confidence in government is a tall task, but I believe we can pass meaningful reform legislation, and I look forward to working in a bipartisan manner toward that end," Josephs said.

The committee also had planned a vote on legislation that would prevent the state attorney general from seeking the governor's office until four years out of office, and a bill that would prevent a person's credit history or credit report from being considered in his or her hiring or firing. However both bills were passed over.

House Bill 2162 now goes to the full House for consideration.