Idaho lawmakers endorse package of campaign finance reform measures

BOISE — A panel of Idaho lawmakers endorsed a slate of campaign finance reforms that it will pitch to the full Legislature in January, from requiring more frequent reporting, to expanding disclosure requirements to all levels of government, to changing rules for independent expenditures.

“I think we’ve come a long way — I think we’ve plugged a lot of loopholes,” said Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, co-chairman of the panel, as it wrapped up the last of months of meetings Wednesday to hash out the details of the reform proposals. “I think we have accomplished something that we can be proud of and take to the Legislature.”

Last year, an interim committee unanimously approved an even more ambitious package of reforms, but it went nowhere with the full Legislature. Wood said he hoped this legislation would fare better.

Among the proposed changes:

Reporting requirements would expand to all levels of state and local government in Idaho, once $500 or more is raised or spent.

All reports would go into a single, searchable database to be operated by the Secretary of State’s office.

Reporting would be required monthly for the four months prior to each election, including primary and general elections.

Fines would start immediately for those who fail to file disclosure reports on time, rather than first allowing a grace period.

All those changes will be rolled into a single “omnibus” bill, which the joint legislative committee unanimously endorsed.

The panel also agreed on a second piece of legislation to make changes to rules for independent campaign expenditures and electioneering communications, with a few last-minute compromises reached on Wednesday.

While most of the senators and representatives on the panel favored requiring more reporting of those to get at “dark money” in Idaho politics, others raised concerns that free speech could be infringed upon, and onerous reporting requirements placed on Idahoans who are just having their say about politics.

Lawmakers agreed to extend the reporting period for those types of expenditures to run from the close of the candidate filing period in the spring through the general election. But they also agreed to raise the reporting threshold from the current $100 to $1,000. That means the reporting requirements wouldn’t kick in until the independent group or individual has spent $1,000 on the effort.

This content was originally published here.

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