Public financing pilot for N.C. legislative races endorsed
Friday, April 28th, 2006
By Chris Fitzsimon
RALEIGH, N.C. — The General Assembly should approve a pilot public campaign finance program for some legislative races patterned after the one popular with appellate court candidates, a House subcommittee recommended Thursday.
The panel voted 4-1 in favor of the concept, in which candidates who agree to fundraising restrictions by outside contributors receive public dollars for their campaigns. Democrats on the subcommittee backed the plan, while Rep. Rick Eddins, R-Wake, voted no.
The voluntary program for Court of Appeals and Supreme Court candidates began in 2004 and has been held up as a national model by campaign reform groups. Additional "rescue funds" also are available to a qualifying candidate when an outside group or nonparticipating candidate start outspending the candidate.
The leadership of the majority and minority parties would choose which districts would participate in the pilot.
Other details of the plan, including actual legislation, weren’t finalized by the subcommittee of the House Select Committee on Ethics and Governmental Reform, which is supposed to make recommendations to the General Assembly as it reconvenes next month.
The full committee, which is scheduled to meet Friday, was formed at the request of House Speaker Jim Black after at least two people connected to him were investigated for apparent lobbying law violations during last year’s lottery debate.
Black also asked House members to consider other campaign law changes as the State Board of Elections investigated his handling of incomplete checks written by his fellow optometrists. (more…)
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