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<\/a>HELENA\u00a0\u2014 Campaign finance watchdogs were waiting on pins and needles this week in anticipation of the final text of a massive\u00a0 bill to fund the federal government. That\u2019s because earlier drafts of House and Senate appropriations bills contained a series of so-called \u201cpoison pill\u201d riders that critics said would have reshaped campaign finance laws.<\/p>\n
The series of riders, dubbed \u201cCitizens United 2.0\u201d by some, would have opened the door to even more corporate dark money in campaigns and would have effectively repealed the \u201cJohnson Amendment,\u201d a 1954 law that that prohibits 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organizations \u2014 including churches \u2014 from endorsing or opposing political candidates. Supporters of the Johnson Amendment say its repeal would have opened the door to an estimated $1 billion in new corporate spending in elections.<\/p>\n
Relief spread among supporters of campaign finance regulations late Wednesday afternoon when the final text of the 2,232-page omnibus spending bill was finally released to the public.\u00a0 The most significant of the controversial campaign finance roll-backs were not included in the $1.3 trillion spending package. Not only that, the bill also included\u00a0$380 million in new funding for states to enhance security systems for voting technology.\u00a0Montana is poised to receive at least $3 million<\/a>\u00a0in funding to stiffen election security.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on Friday. The concerns of campaign finance watchdogs heading into the week centered on riders tucked into earlier iterations of the spending bill that would have:<\/p>\n \u2666 Blocked enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, allowing tax-deductible secret money to flow through churches and other nonprofits.<\/p>\n \u2666 Stopped the IRS from creating clear definitions for nonprofit engagement in politics.<\/p>\n \u2666 Prohibited federal contractors from being required to disclose their political spending.<\/p>\n \u2666 Stopped the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring companies to disclose their political spending.<\/p>\n \u2666 Loosened campaign finance coordination limits, which would allow candidates to spend significantly more.<\/p>\n Stephen Spaulding<\/p><\/div>\n Stephen Spaulding, of the national anti-corruption watchdog group\u00a0Common Cause<\/a>, was among those worried that the the riders would have had a dramatic impact on the 2018 election if they made it into the must-pass spending bill. Spaulding said the measures would have ushered more unaccountable, secret money into our elections, provided big donors an opportunity to circumvent contribution limits, and prohibit government agencies from doing their job to enforce the law.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IRS, SEC, and federal contractor riders have slipped into previous must-pass spending bills in years past,\u201d Spaulding said. \u201cThe Johnson Amendment rider and the party coordination limits are new \u2013 and [would] do profound damage to the integrity to what\u2019s left of our campaign finance laws.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., was the sole member of Montana\u2019s federal delegation to vote in favor of the spending bill. Tester has been an outspoken critic of the Supreme Court\u2019s 2010\u00a0Citizens United\u00a0<\/em>ruling that unleashed unprecedented amounts of corporate spending in elections. Tester is also a co-sponsor of a bill that would require any organization or individual who spends $10,000 or more on a political campaign to report it within 24 hours.<\/p>\n Prior to the release of the full text of the omnibus bill, the\u00a0Montana Free Press\u00a0asked Tester whether he would support a spending bill that contained the campaign finance riders contained in earlier versions.<\/p>\n \u201cOur nation\u2019s campaign finance system is broken,\u201d Tester said in an emailed statement. \u201cThe flood of money and the secrecy around who is trying to influence our elections is a threat to our democracy. That\u2019s why I\u2019m defending Montana against special interests who are hell-bent on buying our elections.\u201d<\/p>\n Tester did not address the riders directly, though his staff said he opposes repealing the Johnson Amendment.<\/p>\n![\"CapreAir_Variable\"](\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/201703_capeair_variable.jpg\")
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