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Friday, February 05, 2010

Revised Donations Ban Moves Ahead

By Sean Olson
Journal Staff Writer
          SANTA FE — Lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bill that would ban contributions from lobbyists and contractors to candidates after combining two proposals before the House Voters and Elections Committee.
        A substitute bill replaced two versions of the ban, sponsored by Reps. Jose Campos, D-Santa Rosa, and Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, that eliminated two major provisions from the proposals.
        The new bill drops a proposed ban on New Mexico businesses from making contributions to candidates and cuts out a requirement for nonprofit organizations engaged in any political activity to disclose donors.
        It still would ban state contractors and lobbyists from contributing directly to candidates or from collecting contributions from third parties and giving them to candidates in one package — a process known as bundling.
        Lobbyists and contractors can still spend money advocating for a candidate, but they must not do it in coordination with the candidate's campaign.
        The bill will have to be approved by the House Judiciary Committee for it to move onto the floor.
       

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