The House agreed Thursday to ban donations and gifts to elected officials’ office accounts, which will close what supporters said was a gaping loophole in campaign finance laws.
Currently, there are no limits on cash or other gifts to the accounts, which can fund constituent mailings, staffing and other administrative expenses.
There was no official vote on Senate Bill 51 on Thursday, but a move to effectively kill it died 18-44. It still faces a final vote in the House.
“When you have lobbyists giving large, potentially unlimited contributions to legislators during the legislative session, it casts a shadow on the work that’s done in this building,” said Pete Maysmith of Colorado Common Cause.
Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock, reported collecting $20,590 in cash contributions last year – the most of any lawmaker.
Democratic Rep. Paul Weissmann of Louisville, who sponsored the bill, said the accounts “have given incumbents a huge advantage,” providing unlimited resources to reach their constituents, who are voters.
Democratic Rep. Terrance Carroll of Denver said the contributions “put us at danger of privatizing how the legislature operates.”
“We don’t want to be the official legislature of any corporation,” he said.
Under the bill, legislators could still accept nonoffice-related gifts such as tickets and speaking honorarium, but that information must be disclosed quarterly, Weissmann said.
Currently, lawmakers are required to disclose gifts once a year on a date that falls after an election.
Republicans have pointed to $83,000 of in-kind donations given to the office accounts of various Democrats by a group called Research and Democracy, which has not disclosed its donors.
Such a move would be illegal under this bill, Weissmann said.
Opponents of the bill, mostly rural lawmakers, said they either need more state-funded support for their administrative expenses or need to be allowed to raise money for their office accounts.
The state provides enough money for a part-time aide, lawmakers said.
Rural lawmakers often represent districts that include multiple counties and towns that cover hundreds of miles.
Staff writer Chris Frates can be reached at 303-820-1633 or cfrates@denverpost.com.
