Albany: Public Campaign Financing and More

David Posnett — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 17:56:06 +0000

There is a lot going on in Albany these days. The New York State budget is due by April and everyone is advocating for their cause.

Fair Elections NY is one advocacy group. “Edie Falco from the Sopranos explains how lobbyist money is blocking passage of progressive issues in New York State.

Wealthy special interests like real estate, heath care industry, and Wall Street can donate mountains of money to their favorite candidates, making sure that laws are rigged in their favor.

If all candidates had the opportunity to run for office with the backing of small donors, not wealthy interests, regular people would be better represented.

Legislators in Albany are considering a proposal to limit big money and match every small donation 6-to-1 up to $175. That means a $10 donation would turn into $70, powering grassroots campaigns that represent the people and won’t be bought by special interests.”

This legislation is highly recommended by the Brennan Law Center.

You can write your legislators in Albany today and tell them to pass small donor public financing to ensure fair elections in New York!

Here is a podcast you can listen to (or read) on this subject:

Capitol Lobbying Heats Up As NYS Budget Deadline Nears

By Karen Dewitt • 20 hours ago

It’s a busy time at the New York state Capitol, with just over one month to go until the state budget is due. Groups are bringing advocates by the hundreds to try to get their favored items placed into the spending plan. Meanwhile, there are lingering recriminations over the failed Amazon deal.

Among the groups vying for attention at a crowded state Capitol, are advocates for public campaign financing.

Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo has put into his budget a plan that would use state funds to match small donor contributions in a seven to one ratio. If a donor gave $10, the candidate would get $70.

Jessica Wisneski, with the government reform group Citizen Action, says a report released this week by NYU’s Brennan Center illustrates why the change is needed.

“In New York State, the top 100 donors gave more to candidates than all of the estimated 137,000 small donors combined,” said Wisneski, who said small donations represented only five percent of total contributions in the 2018 election cycle.

“That is a shame,” she said.

The Assembly sponsor of a public campaign finance bill, Linda Rosenthal, says it’s a way to allow people who aren’t already wealthy to run for office, and could lessen the influence of big money donors on issues like housing.

“Landlords and big real estate have had legislators in their pockets, because they have contributed to legislator’s pockets, to their campaigns,” Rosenthal said. “And they have had the run of show here.”

Advocates are hopeful of passage. The Senate is controlled by Democrats for the first time in a decade, and several freshmen senators won their campaigns without large donations from individuals or corporations.

But some advocates say they don’t want their item to be part of the budget. They say with one party now ruling state government the items can be considered separately instead.

Criminal justice reform advocates are seeking an end to cash bail, faster court processing, and a change in discovery laws to give defendants earlier access to any evidence, or lack of evidence a prosecutor may have against them.

Nick Encalada-Malinowski, with VOCAL-NY, says in the past, policy items needed to be horse traded between the governor, Democrats in the Assembly and Republicans in the Senate. He says with Democrats leading all three offices, there’s room for more thoughtful consideration of important legislation outside of the budget.

“The details are very important. Every ‘and’, every ‘or’, makes a huge difference to the number of people who are going to be left incarcerated in New York State,” Encalada-Malinowski said. “We don’t want these bills to be in the budget where they can be traded against issues that are unrelated to them like property taxes or legislative salaries.”

Encalada-Malinowski says the measures should advance the “old-fashioned” way, with the legislature considering and approving a measure for a governor to sign or veto.

Even though the governor and members of the Senate majority are in the same party, there have been some disagreements that might make budget negotiations more difficult. Cuomo and Senate Democrats are feuding over the failure of the Amazon project in Long Island City, Queens. Amazon ended a deal to receive $3 billion worth of public funded subsidies in exchange for creating an estimated 25,000 jobs.

Senate Republicans, whose numbers are down to just 23 members out of a 63-member chamber, seized the opportunity to drive a further wedge between the Democrats. Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan says when the GOP was in power, they were better at leading and minimizing public arguments.

“What’s being played out right now, it is all their entire fault,” Flanagan said. “They blew at least 25,000 jobs.”

Flanagan says Republicans may not control the chamber, but they will use their influence to try to get a state property tax cap made permanent, a measure backed by Cuomo and some Senate Democrats, including the Senate Majority Leader. Flanagan says he’d also like to see a permanent state spending cap.

New Yorkers deserve a responsive, accountable government. Voter turnout in New York is among the lowest in the nation, due in part to antiquated procedures for registration and voting that discourage participation. And our campaign finance system favors the wealthy over everyday, working New Yorkers. To tackle the crises we face in housing, living wage jobs, criminal justice, affordable health care, transportation, climate, fair taxes, and more, we must transform a campaign finance system that advantages the interests of the few over those of the many.

The shift in power in the New York State Senate—and a Governor and an Assembly prioritizing democratic reforms—presents an unprecedented opportunity to unrig the rules, strengthen our democracy, and incentivize elected officials to represent the values of the people of the state. A broad coalition of individuals and groups across New York is coming together to ensure that an overhaul of New York’s voting and campaign finance systems is the first order of business in the 2019 New York Legislature. This Fair Elections reform package would:

Increase the power of small donations. It is critical we implement a small donor matching system for state elections, including District Attorneys, like the successful programs in New York City and Connecticut. This gives everyday people the means to run for office and represent their communities relying on small donations instead of large checks. After the Supreme Court allowed unlimited, secret money to flow into our elections, small donor matching funds remains the most powerful way to combat the influence of big money. By matching small dollar donations 6-to-1, we can amplify the voices of women; of people of color; of the working and middle classes; and of any and all under-represented New Yorkers in the political process. Adequate enforcement as well as robust candidate support services would ensure the matching funds program runs smoothly.
Limit the influence of big money. The very wealthy and corporations shouldn’t be allowed to buy elections. We can put a check on their outsize influence by closing the “LLC loophole,” which allows mega donors to funnel limitless amounts to candidates, and by reducing New York’s unusually high contribution limits, among other improvements.
Make it easier, not harder, to vote. Including but not limited to automatic voter registration, early voting, same day registration, online voter registration, no excuse absentee voting, new party enrollment deadlines, pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, full voting access for people with disabilities, and codify into law New York’s new policy to extend voting rights to all New Yorkers with past convictions.

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32BJ SEIU
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Westchester Citizen Therapists
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Working Families Party

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Albany: Public Campaign Financing and More

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