( - promoted by Dean Barker)
A potentially far-reaching bill (presented below the fold) has passed the State Senate and is on its way to Governor John Lynch for his signature.
House Bill 794 creates a seven-member group which will consider public funding options of certain campaigns in New Hampshire -- possibly Governor, State Senate, and Governor's Council. So, this legislation could eventually dramatically affect for the good the way that democracy is exercised in our state.
After a public hearing early last year the bill was sent to a House Election Law Subcommittee which I chaired. There I saw first-hand the enthusiasm for the concept of this bill that Granny D and others brought to her cause as we held a dozen work sessions on the bill.
The Subcommittee even met with Maine State Representatives to learn more about how public funding of certain campaigns works in that state. Altogether, we had over 35 hours of discussion on this bill in the Legislature. HB 794 passed the House on January 16th on a roll call of 199 to 121.
I have dubbed House Bill 794 as "THE GRANNY D BILL," because this is her cause. She walked across America in support of "clean elections." In light of the ever-increasing costs of running for public office and the reliance on personal wealth or extensive fundraising in order to run for public office, this bill seeks to allow for a different approach to funding campaigns for potential candidates without such financial sources.
Legislation similar to the original version of HB 794 was almost passed by the 2000 Legislature. A bill creating public financing of campaigns passed the State Senate that year, and came within 28 votes of passage in the then-Republican controlled House after a lengthy discussion. GOVERNOR JEANNE SHAHEEN was prepared to sign the bill.
The people on the bipartisan Commission created by HB 794 will dedicate dedicate themselves in the next few months to the task of identifying alternative ways to fund state campaigns. The Commission will examine potential revenue sources for funding and develop recommendations to the legislative session of 2009.
This Commission, under the directives of the bill, may consider voluntary contributions, in-kind donations of services, and other means to generate revenue. The Commission will include not more than three members of a political party. No Commission members can currently hold elective office. Two appointments are to be made by the House Speaker, two by the Senate President, two by the Governor, and one by the Secretary of State. The Commission will report back by December 1, 2008, in time for legislative action in 2009.
Some twelve states already have "clean election" laws at one level or another, with Maine, Arizona, and Connecticut having statewide versions affecting most elected offices. This concept has been publicly endorsed by leaders and people who have run for "higher office" from both parties: former GOVERNOR WALTER PETERSON, former Gubernatorial candidate JIM RUBINS, former Democratic U.S. Senate nominee JOHN RAUH, former Gubernatorial nominee PAUL McEACHERN and former State Senators CLIF BELOW and RICK TROMBLY, among others.
In addition, SECRETARY OF STATE BILL GARDNER has been a strong advocate of the legislation and the public funding concept. A number of other long-time supporters of the Granny D cause who have worked with her for the past decade also contributed to the success of the legislation to this point. Representatives of the League of Women Voters, NH Citizens Alliance, Americans for Campaign Reform, Public Action for Clean Elections, and Veterans for Peace NH have also supported the legislation.
I think the Commission will do its job well, and that it will come up with inventive, innovative ways to implement the concept here "The New Hampshire Way."
House Bill 794 was cosponsored by Representatives PETER ALLEN, BETTY HALL, DANA HILLIARD, BARBARA RICHARDSON, SENATOR JACKIE CILLEY, and myself. Several members of the House Election Law Committee worked especially hard on making the bill succeed, including DAVID PIERCE, who prepared the amendment creating the Commission, CLAUDIA CHASE and CHUCK WEED, who were on the Subcommittee which I chaired, along with David Pierce and Betty Hall and went to a number of meetings on the bill, and COMMITTEE CHAIR JANE CLEMONS, who helped in passage on the House Floor.
But this one really is a great victory for Granny D -- who repeatedly would tell us this isn't "about her," it's not even "about us," it's about our children, and our future.
She's right.
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