WASHINGTON -- Sen. Orrin Hatch says any campaign reform that seeks to further limit donations or spending weakens free speech -- and worsens the political money chase.
So, the Utah Republican told the Senate Rules and Administration Committee last week that the best reform would be simply to force all donations and expenses by all groups to be fully and promptly disclosed -- and maybe even to raise current donation limits."A system of complete disclosure would bring the disinfectant of sunshine to the system," he said. "The winner will be the public. It will be able to make its owns assessments."
Hatch pushed a bill he's introduced to require disclosure of all contributions and expenditures within 14 days on an Internet Web site.
"No longer would people have to wait for quarterly reports to be filed to peruse who was supporting whom. No longer would the media have to wait until after the election for the list of the most recent donors," Hatch testified.
He also urged adopting legislation to give political action committees and independent expenditure groups incentives to voluntarily disclose their spending by offering tax deductions of up to $100 for their donors if such disclosures are made.
He also urged the committee to raise donation limits, which have not been adjusted for inflation since they were established in 1974.
"The practical result of the limitation on contributions is that candidates must seek contributions from a larger set of donors. This means that candidates are spending a greater amount of time raising money," Hatch said. "Elections have become a money chase."
He added, "Our campaign-finance system has walled off electoral political speech and treated it as a regulated industry. Not only does this violate core free speech concerns of the founders, it has created a jumble of confused regulations and court cases."
Hatch also complained that "reformers who advocate greater restrictions on the campaign-fiance system equate contact with officeholders with corruption.
"But to equate contact with officeholders with corruptions threatens to turn the First Amendment right of citizens to petition their government on its head. Access is not corruption," he said. "It is representative democracy."
You can reach Lee Davidson by e-mail at lee@desnews.com