BEFORE leaving the Capitol last week for their summer vacations, members of the Legislature took a step to help bolster their re-election chances down the road.
Members in the House and Senate gave easy passage to House Bill 2196, which bans them from receiving campaign contributions from lobbyists, or from companies and groups that use lobbyists, during the legislative session. That's laudable, because as House author David Dank says, it "puts some important distance between giving money and passing legislation.” Goodness knows that distance has too often been lacking.
Our problem with the measure is that it also prevents legislative candidates from raising campaign cash in this way during the session. Making challengers cool their heels for four months places them at a real disadvantage, one that's exacerbated by the fact incumbents, simply as a result of their position, almost always have more money at their disposal.
Dank, R-Oklahoma City, has argued that challengers won't be handicapped by this change because they often begin their campaigns far, far in advance of when the primaries are held. Indeed some do, but it's also true that many do not. For them, the four-month fundraising moratorium will be a heavy burden.
If lawmakers were really interested in fostering reform, they would have approved a portion of Dank's bill that sought to forbid the transfer of funds between political action committees. Instead that language was removed, so this shady practice will be allowed to continue.
The governor is likely to sign HB 2196 because it's touted as ethics reform. Who's not for that?
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