Update on Public Financing

An Update from Paul Burns, VPIRG Executive Director

I was invited to serve as the primary witness today in a Senate Government Operations committee hearing concerning a bill that would reduce the influence of money in politics by making public financing available to qualifying candidates for state Senate and House.

VPIRG supports full public financing because it substantially reduces the need for candidates to rely on private contributions to finance their campaigns, thereby:

• Strengthening public confidence in the integrity of government;
• Encouraging candidates from all walks of life to enter the political arena; and
• Freeing candidates from the burden of fundraising so they can spend their time talking to voters instead of dialing for dollars.

Committee Chairwoman Jeanette White wanted to get all the issues on the table before next January when the committee has pledged to take up the bill again when they have more time to deal with it. You can write your Representative(s) and Senator(s) to let them know you support public financing here.

Sen. Diane Snelling felt so strongly opposed to the bill that she made time to testify to the committee even though there was no possibility of the committee voting on it this year.

Longtime committee member and former Chairman, Sen. Bill Doyle also expressed his opposition. When he asked me why VPIRG believes the legislation is needed, I was glad to be able to quote the senator’s own words from a floor debate ten years ago, in which he said that campaign reform is necessary so that “there will be increased time for real debate; [and] that candidates will be able to concentrate more on issues rather than raising public money.”

Sen. Doyle’s position made sense then and it makes sense today. The only question is whether his mind has changed….

- Paul
April 11, 2007