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By Jake Zuckerman Staff Writer Charleston Gazette
The West Virginia Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will nearly triple the amount of money individuals can contribute to political campaigns.
Senate Bill 622 would raise the ceiling to $2,800 for candidates in both the general and primary election cycles â in line with federal campaign limits â up from $1,000.
It would multiply 10 times over the current cap on contributions to a state party executive committee or caucus committee to $10,000. Likewise, it would lift PAC contribution limits to $5,000 from $1,000.
While the bill increases certain reporting requirements, it does not address "dark money" or independent expenditures funded by outside donors, in political elections, to the chagrin of Senate Democrats.
Sen. Stephen Baldwin, D-Greenbrier, spoke against the bill, deeming it not helpful and questioning why the Senate would crack open campaign finance laws but not address dark money.
"The spectacle, to me, of a room full of politicians saying we'll be allowed to get more money ought to be enough to defeat the measure in and of itself," he said. "It's just ludicrous to me."
In agreement, Sen. Mike Romano, D-Harrison, called it a mistake allowing more money into the political process.
"We failed to take advantage of an opportunity to get under control of the dark money expended in this state, money that's used for independent expenditures against all of us on both sides," he said.
However, Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Trump, R-Morgan, supported the bill and said both the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as well as the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which affirms corporations' rights to unlimited spending on independent expenditures.
"Even if we wanted to, this Legislature could have no authority to impose restrictions on that speech, that is the clear holding of the United States Supreme Court in the Citizens United case," he said.
To balance the scales, he said the increased contribution amounts will give candidates a louder voice to counteract the unfettered outside spending.
The bill now goes to the House of Delegates for review.
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