Campaign Finance Laws Passed by the Senate

Liz Gullett

Dec 11, 2015

This week, the Senate passed legislation making changes to the state’s campaign finance laws. The bill would allow an independent expenditure committee to be formed by a corporation, business, or association, and allow it to make independent expenditures and contributions to other similar committees. The legislation also creates reporting requirements for the independent expenditure committees. The bill sponsor states this would simply codify the United States Supreme Court ruling that it is a violation of the First Amendment to prohibit corporations or unions from spending money on candidates. However, those in opposition to the bill fear this would result in less transparency and more fraud when it comes to spending dollars to support or oppose a candidate. The bill has been referred to the House Elections Committee for consideration.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.