Key legislation

Although there were some disappointments in the recently ended session of the Missouri Legislature, two major bills were passed that make good sense and will benefit the state: improving the transparency of campaign contributions and requiring photo identification when voting.

Campaign caps removed

This newspaper has long advocated removing the limits on contributions to candidates by individuals and requiring stricter reporting of those donations, including posting of campaign reports on the Internet for immediate access by the public. In general, that's what this year's bill does by eliminating the amount individuals can contribute.

But the bill also bars contributions to candidates by party committees, which is a response to what amounts to a political industry of hundreds of campaign committees ostensibly set up to aid certain candidates but in fact used to launder major contributions to particular campaigns.

Opponents of the bill claim the legislation defies the will of the state's voters, who in 1994 voted to limit political contributions -- an action later thrown out by the courts. The then-Democrat-controlled legislature adopted higher limits.

What the opponents fail to mention is that none of the voters in 1994 who said they wanted to cap campaign contributions had any inkling that political operatives would quickly find a way to siphon huge sums of money to their favorite candidates by using the sham of the political committees in both parties -- in effect an end run around the caps.

Photo IDs for voting

As for asking voters to present a photo ID, the history of fraud in recent years alone is enough to validate the need for controls on who can cast a ballot in Missouri. Concerns that some Missourians who don't have a driver's license or other acceptable form of identification can easily be overcome by obtaining a state ID card, which requires the same documentation needed by any prudent citizen to get a passport, file for Social Security benefits and obtain other essential services.