Committee advances bill to bar state-funded organizations from spending on elections; amendments fail

The House Elections and Government Operations Committee voted to move House File 72 to the General Register on a 6-5 roll call after a day-long discussion about so-called "dark money" and state appropriations.

House File 72, presented by Representative Ingham, would bar organizations that receive state appropriations from using those state funds to influence elections. "House File 72 is about one thing and one thing only, eliminating the inherent conflict of interest that arises when politicians are able to appropriate money to the same organizations who finance and fund their reelection efforts," Representative Ingham said.

The bill's sponsor, Representative Ingham, framed the measure as a transparency and conflict-of-interest reform. He told the committee that in 2023 about $1.1 billion in state appropriations were made to organizations that,…