Limit campaign donations, commission says

In a 10-7 vote Thursday night, a special commission on democracy recommended to Gov. Gary Herbert and the Legislature that cash limits be imposed on donations to state and local candidate campaigns.

The Governor's Commission on Strengthening Democracy may fine-tune the proposal, put forward by local attorney Randy Dryer, before passing it on to state leaders.

But while commissioners said they hope their work will be taken seriously by legislators and the governor, it is of note that most of the commissioners who voted no — including two GOP legislators — were Republicans, as is Herbert and a majority of the Utah House and Senate.

Only one known Democrat on the commission, former state Rep. Frank Pignanelli, voted with the Republicans in opposing limits on contributions to statewide, legislative and local government campaign accounts. A few known Republicans on the commission, like Richard Richards and Doug Wright, voted aye on limiting campaign donations.

Several Republicans on the commission voiced strong concerns that placing restrictions on campaign donations violated free speech provisions — though the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that such restrictions do not violate the First Amendment.

Full, quick disclosure of all campaign contributions is a better way to go, some commissioners said.

In fact, Rep. Craig Frank, R-Cedar Hills, told fellow commission members that he plans to introduce one or more bills in the 2010 Legislature that would further require candidate contribution disclosures, with financial penalties if candidates miss filing deadlines or improperly report or take money.

The Dryer proposal would, among other things, limit individual donations as follows:

 Governor, attorney general race to $4,000 per person/group.

 Legislative race to $2,000 per person/group.

 Political parties to $5,000 per person/group.

 PACs to $2,000 per person/group.

 No one can give more than $25,000 in political contributions in an election cycle.

Commission member Tom Love said special interest money can "overshadow elections." And limiting the amount of contributions any person, business or PAC can give a candidate "brings us more into balance, levels the playing field just a little bit."

Said Dryer: "I hope more money is raised" under his plan. "But just raised in smaller amounts."

While GOP state chairman Dave Hansen, a commissioner who voted against the Dryer plan, said more smaller contributions are coming into political parties these days, Dryer said any number of studies show that in local Utah races big donors dominate campaign giving.