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Senate backs bill hiking disclosure threshold for campaign donations
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Posted on Mar 22 2006
The Senate passed on Friday a House bill that would increase the disclosure threshold for campaign contributions from $100 to $500.
House Bill 15-26, authored by Vice Speaker Justo Quitugua, now goes to the Governor’s Office for action.
Currently, candidates are required to disclose the names of individuals who have made an aggregate contribution of at least $100 to their campaign funds.
H.B. 15-26 would raise the minimum amount to $500.
The bill has the support of the Office of the Public Auditor.
Earlier, public auditor Michael Sablan said that the current threshold may be too low and unreasonable.
“[The Office of the Public Auditor] does not take a position on what would be a reasonable amount, but I would say that $100 does not appear to be a reasonable amount. A campaign can
take a whole year, and if you contributed $9 a month—say, by buying hot lunch from a candidate—your total donation could easily reach $100,” Sablan had said.
He had added, “I think it’s unreasonable to expect that a person who donates $100 in the aggregate over the course of the campaign might have some influence [on the candidate].”
Sablan also noted that the computation of aggregate contributions include not only cash donations, but in-kind contributions as well.
“People think that if they bring a bowl of potato salad, then a case of soft drink the next week, then make a $10 donation, that’s okay. But once your total gets $100, your name must be disclosed,” according to Sablan.
