House Democrats to Oppose $10,000 Contribution Cap
The Florida House Democratic Caucus will propose a series of revisions to the Republican-backed sweeping election reform effort, House Bill, 569, that is to go before the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday.
The caucus announced in a release that members object to portions of the bill by Rep. Robert "Rob" Schenck, R-Spring Hill, that:
-- Increase maximum contributions to $10,000. The caucus prefers the cap to remain at $500.
-- Prohibit candidates from carrying over $100,000 from election to election as proposed in HB 569.
Caucus members also will propose that large numbers of small, uniform contributions -- such as how the 140,000-member teachers union records monthly $1 donations -- be streamlined in how they are filed.
Floridians deserve a meaningful campaign finance reform bill that provides transparency and makes a real attempt at limiting the influence of big-money interests in the publics business, House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston, D-Plantation, stated in a release.
I believe that changes proposed by my Democratic colleagues will, if accepted, go a long way toward creating a strong bipartisan campaign reform plan. But without such improvements, I fear that the legislation falls far short of whats needed to build public confidence.
Comments are now closed.