It's Time to Limit Influence of Money,
Lobbyists in Politics

Dear Neighbors:

        Tuesday, August 22, Alaskans have an opportunity to vote on Ballot Measure 1, an effort to limit the influence of lobbyists and large campaign donations on our political system. While other issues may have received more attention in the news media, I believe that your choice on Ballot Measure 1 will be one of the most important votes you will cast in the upcoming election season.

        Ballot Measure 1 will overturn what I believe were undesirable changes to our campaign finance and lobbying laws in 2003. That year the Republican legislative leadership, along with Governor Frank Murkowski, made it their priority to double the amount big donors could give to legislators and other candidates in campaign contributions. They raised the limit from $500 to $1,000. They also made it easier for lobbyists to donate money to legislators and avoid public disclosure rules that would show who was paying them to lobby the Legislature. I supported the stricter pre-2003 campaign and lobbyist limits, which resulted from a 1996 voter campaign finance reform initiative. I voted against the 2003 changes that weakened these limits.

        Ballot Measure 1 seeks to restore most of the pre-2003 campaign and lobbying rules. Under Ballot Measure 1 the limit on individual donations to candidates and parties will be halved from $1,000 to $500 and $10,000 to $5,000 respectively.

        The ballot measure also makes it harder for paid lobbyists to donate money to legislators and candidates. In 2003 the law was changed to allow people who are paid to lobby legislators to donate to those legislators, provided they spend less than 40 hours per month lobbying. 40 hours is a lot of lobbying, and exempting lobbyists who perform this magnitude of lobbyist work from regulation, I feel, is poor policy.

        Under Ballot Measure 1, the 40 hour rule is changed. The ballot measure provides that once a person paid to lobby does so for more than 10 hours in any month, they must register with the state so Alaskans will know who is paying them. Furthermore, if they spend more than 10 hours on paid lobbying, they will be prohibited from donating money to legislators and other candidates. Currently that prohibition doesn't apply until a person lobbies more than 40 hours in a month.

        This issue is discussed in the Primary Election Voter Guide, where a pro and con position are provided. You can find the pro and con statements at http://www.elections.state.ak.us/ballot_measures.php.

        Some have expressed a concern about the ballot measure's provisions regarding lobbyists. Although this measure does lower the amount of time a person can spend being paid to lobby without disclosing that fact, it has no impact on ordinary citizens who wish to express their views themselves. The argument that this measure affects the ability of ordinary citizens to contact their legislators is not well founded. Under Ballot Measure 1 a citizen may spend as much time as s/he contacting legislators as long as they are not paid by someone to lobby. In addition, Ballot Measure 1 does not cap the amount of time even a paid lobbyist may lobby - it only requires paid lobbyists to register, and limits the lobbyist's rights to make campaign donations to legislators outside of their own district.

        Another argument I've heard is that this measure may lower restrictions on the disclosure of donations to candidates. That's incorrect. Ballot Measure 1 does not address the laws covering the reporting of campaign contributions to candidates. Should Ballot Measure 1 pass, candidates will still be required to list the name and address of every contributor.

        A different provision requires political "groups" to report the name, address, occupation, and employer of every contributor who gives over $100 - current law only requires the occupation and employer of contributors who total above $250. Those who contribute less than $100 to a group, like a labor union political action committee, will not have to report their donation. On one hand, this may be desirable so that groups don't have to keep track of smaller donations. On the other, it can be argued even small donations to political groups should be reported. This is a very minor part of Ballot Measure 1, and since I feel strongly about the other provisions, this one doesn't affect my judgment of the measure as a whole.

        Ballot Measure 1 gives us an opportunity to take back our government and help get the big money out of politics. As always, if you have any questions or simply would like to speak out, please feel free to contact me. And regardless of how you feel about this issue, please remember to vote next Tuesday, August 22.

        As always, please call if you have any questions. Enjoy the rest of your summer.