Mitchell Touts PAC-to-PAC Ban Out of Sen. Committee

“One sprinkles the most sugar where the tart is burned,” says the Dutch proverb.

Democratic Sen. Wendell Mitchell’s office today issues a release touting “his tireless efforts” in getting the now-heavily-amended bill to ban PAC-to-PAC transfers (along with three other bills) out of his Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. How amended is the bill? So much so that House sponsor Jeff McLaughlin (D – Guntersville) will ask the House not to concur with the Senate version if it passes.

There are some good things in those bills, but the first one listed is the PAC-to-PAC transfer ban with its new amendments. You put the most sugar where the tart is burned.

The full text of the release is after the jump.

April 12, 2007-Alabama State House

News Release

Alabama Senate Deputy President Pro Tempore, Senator Wendell Mitchell (D-Luverne), was all smiles on Tuesday afternoon. Because of his tireless efforts, four House Bills (HB59, 118, 120, and 122) to reform Alabama’s flawed campaign and ethics laws cleared a major hurdle on Tuesday (April 10^th) when the bills were approved by the State Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

Senator Mitchell has repeatedly stated that he would do everything in his power to push the reform measures through the Senate. Senator Mitchell introduced similar legislation in the Senate but stopped his efforts on his own bills in favor of the House Bills once they cleared the House and were transmitted to the Senate. After the bills arrival in the Senate, they were assigned to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, which is Chaired by Senator Mitchell who then personally shepherded the four bills through his committee.

“I gave my word,” Mitchell stressed, “that if the bills were assigned to my committee I would make sure they received quick but fair hearings. I asked for the ball; I wasn’t going to let those who put their trust in me down.” The four bills address issues Mitchell has vocalized against for the past several years. “The legislative package isn’t perfect but it closes a number of the most egregious loopholes in our campaign and ethics laws.”

The four bills plug holes in the state’s campaign, ethics, and lobbying statues.

• “B120,” Mitchell said, “limits PAC to PAC transfers. It allows the citizens to know where a candidate obtains their campaign funding. Now it’s a shell game; PACs (Political Action Committees) collect funds, and then they transfer the moneys among themselves before they finally divvy out contributions to the candidates making it impossible to know who’s actually giving the candidates money.”

• HB122 expands the definition of who is a lobbyist to include anyone attempting to influence no bid state contracts.

• HB118 requires any political advertisement to disclose who paid for the ad. “Now,” Senator Mitchell said, “a group can run a negative ad during the last days of a campaign and the voters have no idea who is paying for it. That’s not right; this bill fixes that problem.”

• HB59 mandates the Ethics Commission to provide a training program on the ethics law for legislators, constitutional officers of the Executive Branch (Governor, Lt. Governor, etc.), cabinet officers, executive staff, and lobbyist. “This bill rolled some eyes,” Mitchell joked. “But it’s needed.”

The four bills now go to the Senate Calendar where they are in position for final passage.

For additional information, please contact:
Senator Wendell Mitchell
Senate Deputy President Pro Tempore
State House #: (334) 242-7883

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