[Chat] Annapolis Action Alert - campaign finance reform - committee votes this week, floor votes to follow

[WeinsteinM at aol.com]

Thursday and Friday last week were the House and Senate hearings on 
HB1054/SB569, this year's version of the legislation to make Maryland the fourth state 
in the nation to offer public financing for General Assembly election 
campaigns so as to reduce the undue influence that often accrues to big campaign 
contributors.   

Now is the time to send an e-mail to your state legislators urging their 
support for this bill.   The committee votes will take place this week or next, 
and then the legislation will reach the floors of the House and Senate.   Our 
latest vote count has us within a few votes of the magic number of 71 in the 
House of Delegates, so we need as many calls and e-mails to legislators as 
possible.   You can get your legislators' e-mails on the General Assembly website at 
www.mlis.state.md.us, or you can use the easy web-based fill-in-the-blank 
legislator contact systems at 
http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=192850 (click on the link that says "Contact Your Delegates Now") or 
http://progressivemaryland.org/page.php?id=132.   

I will paste in below a sample message to legislators and some background 
information.   Please forward this to others who might also support this 
important step toward enhancing democracy and social justice in Maryland.   

Thanks,
Matthew Weinstein

*************************************************************

Here is a sample message to legislators:
Dear Senator/Delegate ______________________:
I support public financing of state legislative elections - SB569/HB1054.  
The status quo undermines public confidence in the integrity of the policymaking 
process while forcing legislators to spend time raising funds instead of 
addressing the needs of their constituents.  As recommended by the Study 
Commission on Public Funding of Campaigns in Maryland, this reform, which includes a 
dedicated funding source, creates a voluntary alternative for candidates who can 
prove they enjoy broad public support.
Please let me know if you will cosponsor and vote for this important bill.
Sincerely,
Name: ______________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
City/State/Zip: _______________________________________________

Background information
What is Clean Money Campaign Finance Reform?
As enacted already in three states (Maine, Arizona, and late last year in 
Connecticut) Clean Money Campaign Finance Reform is a voluntary system of public 
financing of state legislative elections.  It has already proven its ability 
to clean up politics and improve the basic workings on democracy by offering a 
voluntary alternative to relying on wealthy private interests to finance 
political campaigns.  The status quo undermines the fundamental values of 
democracy, equality, and social justice by making legislators beholden to special 
interests rather than voters and taxpayers.  For more details nationally, see 
www.publiccampaign.org.   For details on how this year's Maryland proposal would 
work, read the HB1054 fiscal note at 
http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/fnotes/bil_0004/hb1054.pdf.   

Where do things stand in Maryland?
House Bill 1054/Senate Bill 569 is before the 2006 General Assembly, which 
ends April 10th.  This is the legislation that was recommended in 2004 by the 
official, blue-ribbon Study Commission on Public Funding of Campaigns in 
Maryland (read the commission report at http://mlis.state.md.us/other/ 
campaign_financing.pdf) and passed in 2005 by the House Ways and Means Committee.  You can 
read the bills on the General Assembly website at www.mlis.state.md.us. 

Who else is involved? 
-- Progressive Maryland
-- Common Cause - Maryland 
-- League of Women Voters of Maryland
-- Maryland NAACP
-- Maryland AFL-CIO
-- Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club
-- Baltimore Jewish Council/Maryland Jewish Alliance

How can I make a difference?
Call, e-mail, or write your state legislators TODAY.  Urge their support for 
HB 1054 and SB 569.  Go to www.mlis.state.md.us to find your district and your 
legislators.  

Press coverage
We had a press conference in Annapolis on Friday morning that generated this 
brief item at the end of an article in Saturday's Washington Post at 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/04/AR2006030401190_pf.html:

The Start of Public Funds for Campaigns?
With all the competitive races in Maryland this election season and the 
requisite fundraising, advocates for the public financing of political campaigns 
believe their chances are greatly improved this session.
Groups such as Common Cause and Progressive Maryland are starting small with 
legislative races. A bill sponsored by Sen. Paul Pinsky (D-Prince George's) 
and Del. Jon S. Cardin (D-Baltimore County) would create a voluntary system paid 
for with proceeds from the state's sale of unclaimed property.
Most lawmakers, said Tom Hucker of Progressive Maryland, don't like 
fundraising. The measure would allow them to "spend more time with voters and less time 
at cocktail parties with lobbyists raising money," he said.
To qualify, candidates would have to collect $10 or more from about 280 
registered voters in their district, or one-quarter of 1 percent of the district's 
population. In general, qualified candidates for the House would receive 
$40,000 for a primary race and another $40,000 for the general election. Senate 
candidates would receive $50,000 for each contest.
The cause also has a champion this session in Sen. Paula Hollinger 
(D-Baltimore County), who speaks from personal experience. Hollinger is running for the 
3rd Congressional District seat held by U.S. Senate candidate Ben Cardin (D).
"The time has come," Hollinger said before a hearing on the bill Friday. "The 
fundraising has gotten ridiculous for all offices."
Staff writer Ann E. Marimow contributed to this report.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company

Also, last year's Baltimore Sun and Washington Post editorials in favor of 
the legislation are available on their websites, and here are excerpts:
Baltimore Sun editorial, 3/4/05: On issue after issue, it's obvious that big 
money equals big clout in Annapolis… The only real solution to this problem is 
to reduce the politicians' dependence on donations. Fortunately, there's a 
way to do this pending in the legislature -- public financing of campaigns… The 
legislation faces its biggest hurdle in the Senate. Two Baltimore-area 
senators whose support is critical are Joan Carter Conway and Paula C. Hollinger, who 
chairs the committee that oversees campaign finance laws.
Washington Post editorial, 3/7/05: …this is the right time for Maryland's 
legislature to combat the perception of money's influence over political decision 
making by adopting a voluntary system of public funding for legislative 
campaigns… The experience in Arizona and Maine suggests that public campaign 
financing does little to alter the shape of elections themselves -- incumbents still 
enjoy huge electoral advantages -- but plenty to advance the cause of good 
government.
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