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Eye On Boise

Denney says he’s ‘perfectly OK’ with Idaho’s current campaign contribution limits

During the lunch break from today’s Idaho Legislature campaign finance and ethics reform work group, Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney said, “I’m perfectly OK with the contribution limits we have.”

He noted that when he reviewed the proposal to remove all limits with the Attorney General’s office and others, “We agreed that there has been no challenge to our campaign limits currently, and we pointed out that there were a number on the committee that don’t like that.”

Denney said if there’s one change he’d like to make on the limits – which are currently, for example, at $1,000 for the primary election and $1,000 for the general election for contributions to a state legislator – is to eliminate the distinction between the primary and the general, as it’s unclear how that plays out in restrictions on when or where the funds may be spent.

Asked if removal of all limits would mean a big donor, like, say, Frank VanderSloot, could finance the entire campaign of a candidate he supports, Denney said, “Absolutely.”

Denney said he’s pleased with Draft 27, which still includes major proposals to increase campaign finance reporting requirements in Idaho, including more frequent reporting and more disclosure on who’s behind independent campaign expenditures, along with increased fines. “I’m really hapy that we’ve got the process going,” he said. “I don’t think everything that’s in this draft today will be the same when the legislative session comes along, but I think there’ll be significant change.”

Upgrading the technology for Idaho’s campaign finance reporting system – another move the committee is eyeing – also will make a big difference, Denney said. “I think when we get the technology, we can be a lot more transparent, even without any change.”



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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