Kilmer Introduces Bill to Reverse Expansion of Campaign Finance Limits Included in Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) introduced a bill to reverse the tenfold increase in the amount of money donors can contribute to political parties that was included in the must-pass, end of year spending bill expected to be signed into law by President Obama. Kilmer’s legislation, the Close the Floodgates Act (H.R. 5887), would restore provisions that capped individual donor contributions for political parties at $97,200 per year. The legislation would eliminate new accounts created in the spending bill that political parties can use for a wide range of purposes, including party conventions. These new accounts will allow donors to contribute $777,600 every year to the parties. Over the course of a two-year election cycle, wealthy donors could send more than $1.5 million to a political party.
“There is already too much money in our politics,” Kilmer said. “Slipping a provision into a must-pass government funding bill that multiplies ten-fold the amount that wealthy donors can contribute to political parties is exactly why folks hold Congress in such low regard. That's why I introduced legislation to try to protect the interests of 'We the People' and make sure the wealthiest donors don’t get another chance to flood our elections with even more money and to undermine our democracy.”
In recent years, major Supreme Court decisions have led to increased spending on political campaigns. During the 2014 election cycle candidates, parties, and outside groups raised and spent more than $3.5 billion. This year, the Supreme Court in McCutcheon vs. FEC struck down limits on overall campaign contributions individual donors can make to candidates, political parties, and political committees. Previously in 2010 the Supreme Court ruled in their Citizens United decision that corporations, labor, and certain advocacy groups should not face limits on independent political expenditures.
From his first days in Congress Kilmer has been a strong proponent for campaign finance reform. Kilmer is a sponsor of the Disclose Act to bring transparency to the election process by uncovering campaign-related spending by outside groups and corporations and an amendment to the Constitution to overturn Supreme Court decisions on campaign finance and clarify the role Congress plays in setting limits on campaign financing. He’s also pushing for Congress to take up and pass the Government by the People Act to magnify the impact of small-dollar contributions.
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