House Democrats say they’ll again try to get campaign contribution limits restored in Missouri when next year’s regular legislative session begins.
The Missouri Supreme Court reinstated caps on campaign contributions in 2007, but a 2008 law removed them again.
Jake Hummel of St. Louis takes over next year as the top Democrat in the Missouri House. He says they’ll push for an ethics bill similar to one in 2010 that had support in both parties.
“It unfortunately was derailed by the majority, and over the last two years we’ve had little to no movement in ethics reform,” says Hummel.
That bill, and the one Democrats are now proposing, would cap donations at $5,000 dollars per donor for candidates running for statewide offices and legislative seats.
House Democrat Kevin McManus of Kansas City has been tapped to sponsor the proposed ethics bill.
“We believe that this is not only a priority of our caucus, but a priority of Missourians throughout the state who want transparency and accountability in their government,” says McManus.
The proposed bill also would restrict committee-to-committee money transfers and give the Missouri Ethics Commission the authority to launch its own investigations. It would also force not-for-profit groups that donate to campaigns to disclose donors’ identities, and restrict contributions from being invested in anything other than interest-bearing bank accounts.