ALABAMA PAC-TO-PAC TRANSFER BAN STOPPED BY SENATE
The Alabama Senate recently killed a ban on campaign money transfers between political action committees. The bill did not make it out of committee for a full vote from the floor.Under this bill PACs could only give directly to the candidates, they could not transfer money to other PACs or political parties. It would also require PACs to publicly file quarterly reports listing all of their political contributions This PAC-to-PAC transfer ban was the first bill to pass the Alabama House in 2008; it was expected that the Senate would pass a weaker version of the bill or kill it entirely.
House Bill 73 was sponsored by Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, D-Guntersville, who has tried for several years to clear up convoluted campaign donations in Alabama. The Senator's previous attempts called for more strict bans. He called this year's attempt a "workable compromise." McLaughlin said "I'm pretty darn frustrated." He also accused most of the state Senators of being elected under and attached to the PAC-to-PAC donation shell game, saying: "They're afraid to mess with it. And I understand that."
Critics say McLaughlin's compromise did not go far enough in cleaning up Alabama's political donation system and gave in too much to the state Senate's continued reluctance to support these type of campaign finance reform initiatives.
Sen. Wendell Mitchell, D-Luverne, said of the compromised bill: "I wouldn't be comfortable signing that right now."
And who wants to do anything that might make our politicians uncomfortable...or transparent?
Art Richey, head of the Alabama College Student Democrats said: "This issue is not a Democrat or Republican issue, but an issue for clear government to show the people of Alabama where contributions go and who influences votes in Montgomery. With increased media attention and old fashioned grassroots organizing, young people have the opportunity to create a government in the interest of the people, not Montgomery lobbyists."
With the state Senate killing this bill, Alabama remains one of the only states that does not ban PAC-to-PAC money transfering. These transfers are commonly used as a method of political money laundering and giving the illusion of donor diversity by hiding large sums of money from corporations, unions, and major special interests. There are 660 registered PACs in Alabama in 2008.
This is David Whiteside reporting for MTV Choose or Lose Street Team 2008 for Alabama.