New bill on campaign contributions raises alarm (Texas)

[Judi Lynn]

March 23, 2005, 10:13PM

New bill on campaign contributions raises alarm
Measure says candidates and committees would not be penalized for violating rules
By CLAY ROBISON
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - Legislation that would allow political candidates and committees to violate legal restrictions on contributions without being subject to civil, monetary penalties has been filed in the Texas House by a member of Speaker Tom Craddick's leadership team.

The president of a campaign-finance watchdog group called the bill a "disaster" for campaign ethics.

The sponsor, Speaker Pro Tem Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, said the measure, which he didn't write, is more far-reaching than he intended and said he will scale it back to cover only minor violations of campaign-reporting requirements.

"I've got to look to see what's all included in there," he said when asked about the legislation.

As filed, House Bill 3148, which is pending in the House Elections Committee, would repeal sections of state law that allow opponents or the state to sue for monetary penalties from candidates and committees that make or accept illegal political donations.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3099983
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Speaker Tom Craddick

[Daphne08]

1. This is an important story!

[mbperrin]

2. Why not just go all the way and make it entirely legal

for whoever gives Craddick and DeLay the most money to be declared the winners of their seats?

Would save a lot of pesky election folderol.

[salin]

3. Democratic sponsor of bill... doesn't know what is in it?

Read the dang legislation before you sign on to it - don't trust what you have been "told" is in it (he suggests it was only supposed to deal with minor violations....) Don't you realize that your state GOP has been taken over by very powerhungry folks who are reliant on Tom DeLay - and thus going to do whatever they can to a) keep power; and b) protect their benefactor. So why is this guy playing along?

[Gman]

4. Sylvester Turner was (about) the only Dem legislator that didn't flee

Texas to Oklahoma during the Texas redistricting fight. He has alienated his self from the entire Democratic delegation but even more so from the Black caucus. The feeling among the other Black legislators is they don't like him, can't trust him, but they still have to work with him.

Turner admitting he didn't write the bill and doesn't know what's in it makes him look pretty damn stupid.

[acmejack]

5. Actually, many bills are not authored by the sponsor

My sister, an Austin attorney, has written several that are now law. This is very indicative of the fix we are in, here we have "bi-partisan" legislation relaxing the campaign law at the very time it should be made more stringent. At times such as these, it is very hard not to despair.

[Gman]

7. That is true but

it's also rare for a pol to openly admit he didn't write the bill and doesn't know what's in it. Turner has no credibility with the Dems in the leggy and is little more than a Step N Fetchit to the GOP.

[Rose Siding]

6. Why don't they just give DeLay a crayon

and let him re-design a system of govt that suits him better?

[LoganW]

8. A democrat has signed on to this???

What a fool.

[w4rma]

9. He's also the traitor that helped the Republicans redistrict against Dems.

That guy should be booted out during his next primary.