Campaign Reforming the state campaign spending laws has run into trouble in the Senate, where opponents give it only a "fair" chance of passing this year.
spending reform
likely to die
in Senate
The public wants it, activists say,
but a key legislator says he has
not heard from them
By Richard Borreca
Star-BulletinSenate President Robert Bunda said that while he is supporting a campaign reform plan to permit public-funded City Council elections next year, he is not sure if
it will pass.
"The best I can say is, it is up in the air," Bunda said.
The bill was sent to Sen. Cal Kawamoto (D, Waipahu), chairman of the Senate Government Affairs Committee, who opposed a similar bill last year and gave the bill an only fair chance of passing this year.
"We need to get more information; there are people who want it, and they have got to come see me," he said, noting that he has heard from several opponents to the bill.
"We have had calls from the Council members who didn't like the bill," he said.
But citizen activists who have been working for a public-funding bill for four years say the bill is needed now.
Laure Dillon, president of Hawaii Clean Elections, said her organization has already started talking to senators about moving the reform bill this year.
"We know it is the Senate -- the public already supports it," she said.
Adding that the bill was referred to three committees, usually a sign that it has little support, Dillon said the bill will not die for lack of public support.
"I know there is support for public funding," she said.
In the state House, Rep. Brian Schatz says the bill is an important part of the Democrats' package.
"It is one of the most important bills of the session in terms of restoring power to voters," he said.
"There is a sense that special interests have too much power, and the House wants that to change," he said.
Dillon said Kawamoto, who opposed the bill last year, is the strongest opponent again this year.
"It seems there is an impediment with Cal Kawamoto," she said.
Bunda acknowledged that Kawamoto is opposing the measure, but added that it becomes complicated because the bill would also cut in half the amount of money supporters could donate to politicians.
That, Bunda said, would affect all legislators, and with a tight political year approaching, it makes all the incumbents nervous.
"Perhaps that is why they may be down on it this year," Bunda said.
Dillon, however, countered, saying that "it seems obvious that these senators don't want reform in how money is raised for campaigns."
The reason the legislation is important this year, she explained, is because it would "cut the ties between special interests and the cozy relationship people who fund campaigns have with the people who receive the money."
"We lose the power of our vote: The person with the money has more power than the one without the money," she said.
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