Is City’s Campaign-Finance Law A Model For The State?

CONTROLLER Alan Butkovitz and others testified at Senate hearing in Franklin Institute last week to press for comprehensive statewide campaign-finance reporting rules.

When the Commonwealth considers reforming campaign-financing laws, it should look to Philadelphia for the way forward.

That was City Controller Alan Butkovitz’s advice to a State Senate Democratic Policy Committee at a hearing in the Franklin Institute last week.

His reasoning was simple. “Philadelphia’s campaign-finance regulations have been in place for many years now,” he said. “They have been tested by time. And since Philadelphia is the largest jurisdiction in the State of Pennsylvania, it offers the best model for a statewide law.”

The hearing, chaired by State Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton), was requested by her colleague Larry Farnese (D-S. Phila.), who is supporting a bill (SB 1260) which would codify campaign-finance reporting for all statewide candidates for office.

Also testifying was Lora Lavin, on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania. “Reform bills have been introduced in every session since 1974,” she said. “But none has reached the floor of either chamber since the mid-1980s. Yet in terms of State campaign-finance regulation, Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom in State rankings.”

That’s not because the public is indifferent. A recent poll reported “by a 12-to-1 margin, 88% to 7%, the majority of Pennsylvanians want to change how political campaigns are financed,” said David Ross, a spokesperson for Common Cause Pennsylvania.

Boscola commented, “I had very little financial support in my first run for office; but was able to overcome the odds by working hard, traveling to events throughout my Senate district and going door to door connecting with voters. We cannot allow huge campaign donors to drown out the chances of underdog candidates.”

Farnese cautioned about the political influence that large donations carry and again renewed his call for limits on donations.

“January was the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which opened the floodgates and allowed unlimited corporate spending and election influence across the nation,” said Farnese. “In the Commonwealth, we as elected officials must ensure we do not allow the draw of significant dollars to diminish the public’s trust in government.”

SB 1260 is intended as a major campaign initiative on its own, for Democrats at least. Sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), it will doubtless feature in the November campaign if Republican incumbents bury it again.

Participating in today’s hearing, Costa added, “The longer we go without reforming this broken system of campaign finance, the longer special interests and wealthy stakeholders will have strong influence over some of the most-critical decisions made in Harrisburg.”

The measure would impose campaign-contribution limits on all political-party committees, individuals, political-action committees and candidate’s political committees.

The measure would set $100,000 contribution caps per election on all State political party committees for candidates to the General Assembly, Court of Common Pleas, and County or local offices; $250,000 for statewide candidates; and $1 million for candidates running for Governor. The bill would also set $500 aggregate limits on contributions per individual to any candidate for the General Assembly, Court of Common Pleas, County or local office; $2,500 per individual to any statewide candidate; and $5,000 per PAC or candidate’s committee to any candidate for all offices. The aggregate limits per calendar year would be $10,000 per individual, candidate’s committee or a PAC to a single political party committee; $25,000 per individual to all candidates and committees; and $100,000 per PAC to candidates and committees.

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