Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced, in an effort to preserve the state’s clean election program, she has shared with legislative leaders her draft of campaign finance legislation that she would sign into law – one that repeals sections a federal court has deemed unconstitutional – and is prepared to call the General Assembly into special session for a vote if lawmakers do not take up action by the end of this week.
The state’s landmark Citizens Election Program (CEP) that Governor Rell shepherded into law in 2005 removes the influence of special interests from campaigns and provides grants to enable candidates from all walks of life to run for public office on a level playing field. The money that funds the CEP does not come from tax revenues but from unclaimed property such as bank accounts that are turned over to the state when the owners cannot be located.
“I know that you are committed to preserving the CEP as I am and I hope that we can work together in the coming days to enact a fix that will strengthen the CEP and ensure its survival,” the Governor wrote in her August 3 letter to leadership.
“The primary elections will be held in less than one week and the general election is less than three months away. These imminent events require that we act swiftly and decisively to ensure that the CEP remains a viable alternative to old-style political fundraising,” the Governor wrote.
Governor Rell vetoed legislation last week that while attempting to address the constitutional issues also significantly increased the public spending from $3 million to $6 million grants for gubernatorial candidates at time when the economy remains unstable and thousands of Connecticut residents have lost their jobs.
Other provisions the Governor found objectionable included allowing lobbyists’ contributions to count as qualifying contributions for the public grants, a change the Governor said “undermines the very integrity of the CEP.”
“It is therefore my intention, because I believe so strongly in this program and in safeguarding the progress that we have made in removing the taint of corruption from our electoral process, to call the legislature into special session if you do not either override my veto or take other action to address the concerns of the court,” the Governor said.
The Governor’s legislation includes provisions that would:
* Repeal the unconstitutional provisions, including supplemental grants that the federal court ruled burdened the free speech of non-participating candidates;
* Enact a true severability clause instead of a reversionary clause, therefore preserving the rest of the law;
* Allow for $100 contributions from lobbyists but does not permit such contributions to count as “qualifying” contributions for public financing; and
* Immediately restrict from whom lobbyists and state contractors can solicit contributions. Lobbyists cannot solicit from their clients and state contractors are banned from soliciting from their employees and subcontractors.
“Voters – and candidates – deserve the certainty of knowing how this program will work. It is of vital interest to them that we restore the integrity of the CEP sooner rather than later,” Governor Rell said.
