A small group of state lawmakers are working to reform Florida’s campaign finance laws.
So far, plans include raising a contribution cap for candidates from $500 to $10,000.
It would also eliminate state-level political action committees that spend money on behalf of candidates.
Voting rights advocates, like the League of Women Voters, said in a joint conference call this week that while some of those changes would be positive, raising the amount of money someone can give a candidate could have serious consequences.
The director of advocacy for the national chapter of the League of Women Voters, Lloyd Leonard, said it would be a step back for the state.
“We are very concerned Florida might go in this direction,” Leonard says. “We think it raises all the problems that we saw prior to Watergate. It raises the possibility of this legalized bribery. If individuals can give huge amounts of money, it gives the incumbent legislators the ability to go to those interests and say ‘well, if you want me to stand up for what you believe, I need a contribution.’”
J. Adam Skaggs, a lawyer with the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU’s Law School, said during the same call that the proposal is misguided.
“Blowing past the federal contributions limit would not only put Florida in the position of a real outlier among the other states, but would dis-incentivize participation and would further risk the perception among the public that politicians in Tallahassee and across the state are enthralled to deep-pocketed special interest groups,” Skaggs said.
Skaggs says a high limit on campaign contributions typically dissuades people from challenging incumbent candidates.
Republican state lawmakers working to pass the bill say the $500 spending cap is “ineffective.” They are also looking to increase the transparency of campaign contribution reporting in the state.
The proposed bill has already passed through one of the three committees in the Florida House it needs to work through before getting a final vote.
