Campaign finance compromise advances

Lawmakers rejected a bid to repeal Nebraska’s Campaign Finance Limitation Act (CFLA) May 9, choosing instead to amend the state’s campaign finance law.

As introduced by Omaha Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh, LB142 would have repealed the CFLA and amended reporting provisions under the Accountability and Disclosure Act.

A Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee amendment, adopted 37-0, removed all new reporting requirements outlined in the bill, but retained provisions to repeal the Campaign Finance Limitation Act.

Omaha Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh said he introduced LB142 because the CFLA has not limited the influence of money on politics in Nebraska as intended. CFLA limitations on contributions that abiding candidates can accept from nonindividual donors forces special interest money “underground” by channeling it through independent expenditure groups, he said.

“We are not taking money out of politics with the CFLA,” Lautenbaugh said. “Groups are going to spend what they want to spend on a given race.”

Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln opposed the CFLA repeal, saying removing limits on contributions from nonindividual donors would give voters the impression that candidates have been “bought and paid for” by special interest money.

“Citizen involvement in campaigns would become irrelevant,” Avery said.

But Sen. Scott Price of Bellevue said voters are capable of deciding whether contributions have an undue influence on a candidate.

“There’s no guarantee that if you have a lot of money, you’re going to win,” he said. “I believe in the voter; I believe in the process.”

Sen. Charlie Janssen of Fremont offered an amendment to the committee amendment, adopted 31-0, which removed provisions that would have repealed the CFLA. Instead, the Janssen amendment would increase the cap on nonindividual contributions from 50 percent to 75 percent of the overall spending limitation for a given office.

Avery called the amendment “a classic compromise,” saying it was a middle ground between maintaining the CFLA in its current form and repealing the law.

“The CFLA remains a law that deserves to be preserved,” he said. “The compromise does not do serious harm to the law as it exists.”

LB142 advanced to select file on a 37-0 vote.