MADISON, Wis (WSAU-Wheeler News) Wisconsin lawmakers are expected to give their final approval Monday to bills that replace the non-partisan Government Accountability Board and change campaign finance laws. Both houses have approved slightly different versions, and the Assembly meets at one p-m to ratify changes made by the Senate.
The bills bring back the separate elections and ethics boards with political appointees. They were scrapped in the last decade to try and restore the public’s confidence in state government, following a scandal in which lawmakers ran tax-funded campaign operations from their Capitol offices. But majority Republicans say the G-A-B has sided with Democrats on some issues, which the agency disputes. The G-O-P says the campaign finance changes will put the state in line with recent court decisions — including one that lets candidates work with outside groups on fund-raising.
Matt Rothschild of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says large donors would have more influence over elections with a doubling of individual contribution limits and reduced reporting. The bill would no longer make donors tell the state who they work for.
