ST. PAUL –
HF 43, a bill to increase campaign disclosure for outside spending groups, was voted down on a party line vote in Government Operations and Elections today. Bill author Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) released the following statement:
“Minnesotans have no way of knowing just how much is being spent to influence state government or who is spending the money—the only thing we know is that each election spending increases. People rightly believe that big money has too big of a place in politics. Passing HF 43 would be a start to restoring the public’s trust in government and helping to get big, secret money out of Minnesota politics.
“I call on Republicans to join us in opening up our election funding to the public. Getting big money out of politics shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but unfortunately Republicans are once again siding with their corporate backers who fund their campaigns over the people of Minnesota. Our top priority should be opportunity and economic security for hardworking Minnesotans, but Republicans are putting elites and their rich corporate backers first and leaving everyone else behind.”
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