Gov. M. Jodi Rell recently announced legislation to amend state campaign finance laws.
The heart of the original legislation, passed in 2005, is the Connecticut Citizen’s Election Program. The initiative provides funding for candidates for statewide offices and the General Assembly. Candidate funding comes from a number of sources, including individual donors and public grants.
“This law made Connecticut a model for the rest of the nation, but it may expire if we do not act,” Rell said in a press release. “I believe it is worth saving. We must provide certainty to all candidates in the 2010 election, especially those who are running in the special election that takes place in less than a month. Candidates need to know the rules.”
Proposed changes in the law include provisions for minor parties and petitioning candidates. Now, according to Rell, candidates will not have to meet additional qualifying criteria and will receive grants equal to major party candidates.
Rell also announced a reduction in the amount of each grant given to candidates. For example, Rell is proposing that grants for the governor primary be reduced from $1.25 million to $1 million and that those for other candidates vying for statewide office fall from $750,000 to $400,000.
Other proposed changes include a deferral in the increase of funds given until 2014 for each grant based on the Consumer Price Index and a temporary suspension of provisions when they are called into question. Also, Rell proposes to not include contributions from client lobbyists when considering qualifying contributions from the CEP.
“The bottom line is that Gov. Rell is pushing for these changes because she wants to see a fairer, more efficient public financing system,” Adam Liegeot, a spokesperson for the governor said in an e-mail. “We want to encourage citizen participation in the political process and limit the role of private money in elections.”
Andrew Schneider, executive director of the ACLU of Connecticut, whose organization filed a 2006 lawsuit challenging the law, said that the governor’s proposed changes are “a very good start but need to go further.” Schneider said that he takes issue with the restrictions placed upon lobbyists. According to Schneider, lobbyists can’t publicly talk about candidates or forward invitations to campaign dinners. Those restrictions extend to lobbyists’ families, a situation that he calls “guilt by association.”
With regards to the elimination of additional qualifying criteria for candidates who are not members of major parties, Schneider said, “It will help to alleviate one of the major concerns of our lawsuit. However, the lobby restriction is a continuing problem that will jeopardize the constitutionality of this law. It needs to be fixed so that Connecticut’s political system reaps the benefits of a truly fair campaign finance reform law.”
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