AUGUSTA, Maine — Further legislative votes are expected on a bill to strip matching funds out of the Maine public campaign financing law.
The Senate on Thursday gave initial approval to the bill, which was submitted in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The justices rejected a provision in Arizona’s law that tied the amount of public funds a candidate receives to how much privately funded rivals spend.
Maine has a similar matching fund provision in its Clean Election Act, putting it on shaky legal ground, so the Senate voted to scuttle it. Further House and Senate votes are expected next week.
Some groups want the Legislature to pass an alternative allowing participating candidates to receive supplemental funding.
“activist judges” except when I like what they have to say, right?
The current Clean Elections law came about as a result of a citizens’
initiative. If the legislature wants to throw out the baby with the bath
water instead of just fixing the parts that are a problem it should be
sent back to the citizens.
I think you are correct. They should be trying much harder to preserve what a citizen’s initiative and voter’s intention wanted, and clean, fair elections.
Welfare for politicians.
Better they spend the public’s money than the corporations. The corporate dollars come with many strings attached and those strings do not do much for the majority of us. Corruption abounds neighbor.
“Clean and fair elections”. Not likely in this country any time soon.