Senate Resolution 51 - Introduced PAG LIN S.R. ________ H.R. ________ 1 1 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1 2 BY DVORSKY and CONNOLLY 1 3 A Senate Resolution providing for the formation of a 1 4 committee by the legislative council to conduct an 1 5 examination of public financing for state and local 1 6 elections. 1 7 WHEREAS, a fundamental tenet of democracy is 1 8 government "of, by and for the people"; and 1 9 WHEREAS, our political system at all levels is 1 10 increasingly dominated by the influence of large sums 1 11 of private money that finance electoral campaigns, and 1 12 large donations that increasingly seem to be an 1 13 integral part of lawmaking and public policy 1 14 development; and 1 15 WHEREAS, a number of states, including Arizona and 1 16 Maine, have adopted systems of clean elections which 1 17 provide full public financing for primary and general 1 18 campaigns to candidates who opt to "run clean" and who 1 19 qualify by gathering a set number of signatures in 1 20 their district along with a small qualifying and 1 21 certified contribution by each signer, and who then 1 22 agree to accept no additional private contributions 1 23 and not to use any of their personal wealth; NOW 1 24 THEREFORE, 1 25 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the legislative 1 26 council is requested to appoint an interim committee 1 27 to study the projected costs and sources of revenue 1 28 that could be made available to support a system of 1 29 public financing for state and local elections, and to 1 30 study legislation for voter=owned Iowa clean elections 2 1 and develop recommendations related to the specifics 2 2 of a clean elections statute, including but not 2 3 limited to the appropriate voluntary spending limit 2 4 for campaigns of each type, the eligibility threshold 2 5 for qualifying for public funds, the financing 2 6 mechanisms and sources, and the legal requirements for 2 7 establishing such a policy; and 2 8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee be 2 9 composed of 10 members, representing both political 2 10 parties and both houses of the general assembly, with 2 11 five members to be members of the senate and with five 2 12 members to be members of the house of representatives; 2 13 and 2 14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the interim study 2 15 committee issue a report of recommendations to the 2 16 general assembly by December 15, 2007. 2 17 LSB 2943SS 82 2 18 jr:rj/gg/14