HOUSE GOP PLANS HEARINGS ON 527 GROUPS
Article prompts hearings on '527' political donations
In response to a Star Tribune article Monday about the growing influence of political spending by "527" organizations, state Rep. Jeff Johnson, R-Plymouth, said Monday he will hold committee hearings to look into increasing state oversight of the groups.
Spending by 527s, which is difficult to track, doubled in Minnesota between the 2002 and 2004 elections. One group, the 21st Century Democrats, was hit with a record $316,000 penalty by Minnesota regulators who found the group should have disclosed its contributors to the state.
No legislation or specific policies have been proposed, but Johnson said it was "important to find out first about the power these 527 organizations wield." Johnson is chairman of the House Civil Law and Elections Committee.
The hearings might turn into a bit of a partisan ruckus.
Activity by 527s in Minnesota was dominated by Democrats. Moreover, Republicans have criticized House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, DFL-St. Paul, for his personal $300,000 contribution to the 21st Century Democrats, which worked on youth turnout and directly for House DFLers.
Entenza strongly disputes GOP claims that he tried to conceal his contributions until after the election. "We welcome any opportunity to talk about finance campaign reform; the Republican caucus has blocked almost all campaign finance reform bills for years," said Glen Fladeboe, public affairs director for the House DFL caucus. Source: Star Tribune, January 25, 2005
In response to a Star Tribune article Monday about the growing influence of political spending by "527" organizations, state Rep. Jeff Johnson, R-Plymouth, said Monday he will hold committee hearings to look into increasing state oversight of the groups.
Spending by 527s, which is difficult to track, doubled in Minnesota between the 2002 and 2004 elections. One group, the 21st Century Democrats, was hit with a record $316,000 penalty by Minnesota regulators who found the group should have disclosed its contributors to the state.
No legislation or specific policies have been proposed, but Johnson said it was "important to find out first about the power these 527 organizations wield." Johnson is chairman of the House Civil Law and Elections Committee.
The hearings might turn into a bit of a partisan ruckus.
Activity by 527s in Minnesota was dominated by Democrats. Moreover, Republicans have criticized House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, DFL-St. Paul, for his personal $300,000 contribution to the 21st Century Democrats, which worked on youth turnout and directly for House DFLers.
Entenza strongly disputes GOP claims that he tried to conceal his contributions until after the election. "We welcome any opportunity to talk about finance campaign reform; the Republican caucus has blocked almost all campaign finance reform bills for years," said Glen Fladeboe, public affairs director for the House DFL caucus. Source: Star Tribune, January 25, 2005
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