BLUNT URGES LIMITS ON CONTRIBUTIONS

CAPE GIRARDEAU - Missouri Secretary of State Roy Blunt is urging legislators to pass a law limiting contributions candidates for public office can receive from individuals and political action committees.

Blunt said it is important to reduce the impact of PACs and special-interest groups on campaigns. Those contributions tend to give incumbents a big advantage and also leave a conception among people that elected officials are controlled by special-interest groups, he said.

"I feel addressing campaign contributions is much more important than dealing with the total amount spent on campaigns," Blunt said during a visit to Cape Girardeau Monday.

"I think most people feel too much is spent on politics, but when you talk further with them they seem to be convinced that money does not come from real people any longer."

He said there is little reason for concern if a candidate raises $1 million from one million people, but there should be concern from the public if a candidate raises $1 million from one source.

Other legislation that has been considered in recent years by the General Assembly has attempted to limit campaign spending. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that laws cannot be passed that limit campaign expenditures. So, to limit expenditures, legislation much be passed to provide some type of public financing of campaigns to create an incentive for candidates to limit the amount they spend.

Blunt said he does not believe most people want to fund political campaigns with tax dollars or provide for checkoffs on state income-tax forms to fund campaigns. Limiting contributions from sources, rather than the amount spent, eliminates the need to have any type of public financing.

The Supreme Court has consistently ruled that limiting contributions is legal, said Blunt, who, as secretary of state, is responsible for overseeing the state's campaign finance disclosure laws.

Blunt's proposal calls for three levels for contribution limits. Candidates for governor could receive no more than $2,500 from one individual or $5,000 from one PAC; candidates for any other race, which would include statewide offices, state Senate candidates, and candidates in larger cities and counties, would be limited to $1,250 per individual and $2,500 per PAC; and candidates in any race with no more than 100,000 population in the area in which they are running would be limited to receiving $625 from an individual and $1,250 from a PAC.

The primary and general elections would be regarded as separate campaigns.

Sen. Franc Flotron, R-St. Louis, and Sen. Wayne Goode, D-Normandy, are handling the bill in the Senate.

Blunt said he would like to limit the amount of PAC contributions a candidate can receive to 10 percent of what is received from individuals, but acknowledged there would be little support for that idea at this time.

The secretary of state is also responsible for implementation of a new state ethics law passed near the end of the last session of the General Assembly. An attorney general's opinion requested by Blunt interpreted the law to be very broad in its scope and suggested it could even require financial disclosures from school cooks and swimming pool lifeguards.

"It was not a well thought-out law," said Blunt. "It was hastily done at the end of the session."

The law was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, but implementation was delayed by legal challenges.

Blunt repeated his call for the establishment of an ethics commission to insure that ethics laws are followed. He said, "I will continue to work with the Legislature to insure there is a meaningful ethics commission created."

Several bills creating ethics commissions have been introduced this year. The law passed last year did not include a commission.

Blunt said a commission should "have the powers to investigate and enforce the ethics laws of this state and the rules of the commission."

The present law includes many elected and appointed officials, and there is some uncertainty over just who should be included. Blunt said he believes all elected officials should be under the authority of the ethics commission and be subject to inquiries and investigation by the commission, or be able to ask the commission for advice on ethical conduct.

Blunt also stressed that changes in the ethics law should differentiate between elected officials who are paid a salary and those serving on school boards and city councils. Stringent disclosure requirements will discourage people from public service at local levels, he warned.

Blunt was in Cape Girardeau Monday at a Franklin School assembly to unveil the recently restored original state flag, which was made in Cape Girardeau about 80 years ago. He also spoke to the annual Distinguished Service Award Banquet of the Cape Girardeau Jaycees.