Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Government Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Transparency bill on legislative caucus fundraising fails to advance in committee
Summary
Senate Bill 26‑168 would have required reporting for legislative caucus entities that raise and spend funds; sponsors argued it fills a disclosure gap while critics warned of a chilling effect. The committee did not advance the bill and it was postponed.
Senator Weissman presented SB 26‑168 as a narrowly tailored transparency measure requiring quarterly reporting by legislative caucus entities that raise and spend money from outside the legislature. The sponsor said the bill fills a gap between campaign finance and gift/honoraria reporting by requiring a low‑burden quarterly report modeled on the TRACER system.
Committee members raised concerns about potential chilling effects on participation in caucuses, whether private nonprofit or religious gatherings could be swept in by broad language, and whether the reporting burden would deter minority‑view caucuses. A member of the public asked whether mandatory donor name/address reporting could chill generosity; the witness recommended clarifying language to avoid overbreadth.
After debate, sponsors asked that SB 26‑168 be postponed indefinitely; the motion to postpone passed on roll call and the bill did not advance out of committee during this hearing.
