Campaign caps

In 2006, Missouri legislators thought they were putting an end to caps on campaign contributions. Under the old system that limited how much donors could give to candidates, there were massive amounts of campaign funding being funneled through political committees which, in turn, spread the money to other committees. The result, under the old system, was that millions of dollars in political contributions were made but couldn't always be easily tied to any particular candidate.

By eliminating caps and requiring timely reporting of all campaign gifts, the Missouri Legislature provided for transparency. But the Missouri Supreme Court reinstated the limits last July after finding that another provision of the legislation was unconstitutional. Now the political committees are back in operation, once again funneling huge amounts of money to benefit candidates without any direct links between donors and recipients.

This year the legislature is once again considering bills that would remove the contribution caps. That legislation -- without any other provisions that could create further legal hurdles -- should be adopted as quickly as possible. The legislature was on the right track in 2006. Now it needs to do the job right.

At the same time, there are other bills that would create public financing for Missouri candidates who agree to limit how much money they raise and spend. This is as bad an idea at the state level as it has been at the federal level for presidential candidates.

Let contributors give as much money as they want to the candidates of their choice, and make sure every nickel is accounted for in public disclosures. That's the best way to keep track of who's giving and who's benefiting.