Press Release
November 25, 2009
CONTACT:
Jay Heck – 608/256-2686 GOVERNOR DOYLE TO SIGN IMPARTIAL JUSTICE SUPREME COURT PUBLIC FINANCING MEASURE INTO LAW ON DECEMBER 1ST
Common Cause in Wisconsin (CC/WI) has learned that Governor
Jim Doyle will sign into law the Impartial Justice Bill -
Assembly Bill 65/
Senate Bill 40 - on
Tuesday, December 1st. The Bill passed in both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature with bipartisan support on November 5th and will provide full public financing for qualifying candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court who voluntarily agree to abide by a spending limit of $400,000.
That is something to give thanks for tomorrow!
The Governor's support and signing of the bill was never in doubt. However, certain technical corrections had to be made by the Governor's office in consultation with the legislative sponsors to ensure that the Impartial Justice legislation, as passed, does what it is supposed to do.
CC/WI monitored this process and is satisfied that it has been accomplished.
The Impartial Justice bill is the most significant, sweeping campaign finance reform to be passed and enacted into law in Wisconsin since 1977— when public financing was first established in the state.
Special thanks go to the legislation's authors: Senator Pat Kreitlow (D-Chippewa Falls) and Representatives Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) and Steve Hilgenberg (D-Dodgeville), as well as to Representative. Mark Pocan (D-Madison) and Senator Mark Miller (D-Madison) who steered it through the Joint Committee on Finance and secured the funding mechanism. Thanks go out to all of the other members of the State Senate and the Assembly who voted for the Impartial Justice measure. Special thanks also go to Senators Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) and Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) and State Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah) for bucking their party leadership and voting for this significant campaign finance reform measure. They were brave and right to do so. Thanks too to Governor Doyle who has supported this particular reform since the beginning of his tenure in office in 2003 and who will sign the measure into law on Tuesday, December 1st.
Most of all, thanks to all of the wonderful CC/WI members and other pro-reform citizens who contacted their legislators and, over time, made this reform become a reality!
Already, an out-of-state anti-reform organization funded by entities who support the corrupt status quo are planning to sue to stop the Impartial Justice bill from being implemented.
Fine, Bring it on.
To hear CC/WI's take on this Virginia-based challenge to reform in Wisconsin go here.
To all you many Wisconsinites who care about honest, accountable government and politics, savor this victory. You made it happen.
Happy Thanksgiving!
__________________________________________
Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
608/256-2686
Want Good Government?
Join Common Cause in Wisconsin!
www.CommonCauseWisconsin.org
Stay informed - Follow CC/WI on Twitter!
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Press Release
November 5, 2009
CONTACT:
Jay Heck – 608/256-2686 "IMPARTIAL JUSTICE" REFORM LEGISLATION PASSES FULL LEGISLATURE
Now Goes to Governor - Who Says He Will Sign It into Law!
The "Impartial Justice" State Supreme Court campaign finance reform measure
Assembly Bill 65/
Senate Bill 40 passed Thursday evening in the Wisconsin Assembly on a
51-42 vote after passing earlier today on a bipartisan
19-13 vote in the State Senate - on the last day of the Fall legislative session.
The legislation -- the most significant and sweeping campaign finance reform measure since the late 1970's in Wisconsin -- now goes to Governor Jim Doyle who has said he will sign it into law.
Wisconsin will soon join North Carolina and New Mexico in putting into effect a "clean" money system of full public financing for candidates for the State Supreme Court who agree to abide by sensible spending limits which in Wisconsin will be $100,000 for the primary election and $300,000 for the general election. High court candidates who abide by the limits will be eligible to receive additional publicly- financed grants if their opponent exceeds the spending limits and if outside special interest groups spend above a certain threshold against them or in favor of their opponent.
After the the last three high spending, expensive and nasty elections for the State Supreme Court in Wisconsin in 2007, 2008 and to a lesser degree - 2009, this measure was much needed to begin to restore public confidence in the once revered Wisconsin Supreme Court.
As we have said repeatedly, passage and enactment into law of the "Impartial Justice" measure is not enough to clean up Wisconsin Supreme Court elections. The 2007 and 2008 Supreme Court elections were dominated by nasty, undisclosed. unregulated campaign communications masquerading as issue advocacy. The donors to these phony issue ads must be disclosed and the money used to pay for them must come from a regulated source. Only then will elections for Wisconsin's highest court return to some level of sanity and civility.
Pending is Senate Bill 43, a bipartisan proposal requiring disclosure of the donors and regulation of the money utilized by outside special interest groups that run widely-disseminated campaign communications masquerading as issue advocacy during the period of 60 days or less prior to an election. This electioneering disclosure and regulation legislation mirrors new rules approved by the state Government Accountability Board in November of 2008. An identical Assembly version of the legislation is Assembly Bill 63. Both measures are ready to be considered by the full Assembly and State Senate. Common Cause in Wisconsin (CC/WI), the first state reform organization to recognize the critical importance of this reform, proposed a version of this measure back in 1997 -- and has been leading the effort to get it enacted into law ever since.
If we ever hope to have a State Supreme Court truly free from the influence of campaign contributions and outside special interest spending, we must see to it that this measure is passed and enacted into law.
During the week of November 16th, the United States Supreme Court is expected to render a decision in a landmark case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that will provide clearer guidance about what the Wisconsin Legislature can and cannot do in requiring the disclosure and regulation of phony issue ads.
But in the meantime, today's votes in the State Senate and the Assembly in favor of "Impartial Justice" is an important first step toward cleaning up Wisconsin's Supreme Court elections and ensuring that our elected justices are beholden only to the people and not to campaign contributors and outside special interest groups..
Today's votes in the State Senate and the Assembly in favor of "Impartial Justice" are an important first step toward that goal.
__________________________________________
Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
608/512-9363
Want Good Government?
Join Common Cause in Wisconsin!
www.CommonCauseWisconsin.org
Stay informed - Follow CC/WI on Twitter!
Read More...
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Press Release
November 3, 2009
CONTACT:
Jay Heck – 608/256-2686 "IMPARTIAL JUSTICE" STATE SUPREME COURT PUBLIC FINANCING BILL PASSES FINANCE COMMITTEE
VOTE BY FINAL LEGISLATURE EXPECTED THURDAY - URGE YOUR LEGISLATORS TO VOTE FOR REFORM!
The Fall legislative floor session is scheduled to end this week. This session will be the last opportunity this year for the Wisconsin Assembly and State Senate to vote on a major campaign finance reform measure -- which is now waiting to be scheduled by the legislative leadership and ought to be passed and signed into law before Thanksgiving.
Today, the Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance voted 11 to 4 to pass the so-called "Impartial Justice" legislation:
Assembly Bill 65 and
Senate Bill 40 -- identical measures that would provide full public financing for qualifying candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court who voluntarily agree to abide by a spending limit of $400,000. It is now ready and available for scheduling by the legislative leadership for votes in the full Assembly and State Senate - where it ought to pass and then go Governor
Jim Doyle, who has said Monday that he will sign it into law.
In the Joint Committee on Finance today, those voting for the Impartial Justice legislation were: State Senators Mark Miller (D-Monona), Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay), Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), John Lehman (D-Racine), Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point) and State Representatives: Mark Pocan (D-Madison), Pedro Colon (D-Milwaukee), Cory Mason (D-Racine), Jennifer Shilling (D-LaCrosse), Gary Sherman (D-Port Wing) and Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee). Strong supporter of "Impartial Justice," State Senator Judy Robson (D-Beloit), was not present for the vote.
Opposing "Impartial Justice" were: State Senators Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) and State Representatives Robin Vos (R-Racine) and Phil Montgomery (R-Ashwaubenon).
The legislation ought to receive a final vote this Thursday!
If you have not done so already (and even if you have), please contact both your State Representative and your State Senator today or tomorrow - at the latest - and strongly urge them to vote for the Impartial Justice Bill to reform Wisconsin's disgraceful State Supreme Court elections!
To contact both your State Representative and your State Senator go here.
If you are not sure who your State Representative and your State Senator are, go here.
* * *
Last week in Pewaukee, CC/WI sponsored a "reform forum" at the Waukesha County Technical College entitled "How Do We Clean Up Our Disgraceful Supreme Court Elections?" Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices Ann Walsh Bradley and N. Patrick Crooks, and former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Margaret Farrow joined CC/WI executive director Jay Heck in a discussion about how to reform the current method of electing Supreme Court justices in Wisconsin. More than thirty citizens turned out on a cold and rainy evening to be part of the discussion. For more on the forum, go here. To see a video of the forum and what Justices Bradley and Crooks had to say about the urgent need for public financing for State Supreme Court elections, go here.
_______________________________________
Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
608/256-2686
Want Good Government?
Join Common Cause in Wisconsin!
www.CommonCauseWisconsin.org
Stay informed - Follow CC/WI on Twitter!
Read More...
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