A major campaign finance reform bill cleared the House of Delegates Thursday, and a Senate version of the bill is now being considered in committee.
The bill would increase campaign contribution limits and stiffen penalties for those who fail to disclose their contributions. It was unanimously passed by the House of Delegates.
Read MoreA commission studying Maryland’s campaign finance laws appears likely to recommend raising current limits on campaign contributions, which haven’t been increased in 19 years. The commission took no formal vote, but seemed to reach a consensus on raising the total amount an individual may contribute to state election campaigns from the current $10,000 to $25,000 during a four-year election cycle.
Read MoreCampaign finances would become a bit more transparent in the future because of several bipartisan bills enacted by the legislature this session.
Read MoreCampaign finance reports in Maryland are getting more transparent and easier to search with the new campaign finance website launched this week by the Maryland State Board of Elections. The new website, located at www.campaignfinance.maryland.gov, upgrades and further automates reporting and disclosure of the money behind campaigns.
Read MoreAlthough there was not as much money flowing in the 2010 gubernatorial election, Gov. Martin O’Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown got the same amount of campaign donations last year as they did in 2006, according to a new report. This amounted to $5.5 million, or two-thirds more than Republican opponents Bob Ehrlich and Mary Kane.
Read MoreAfter remaining untouched for years — and most likely just collecting interest this campaign season — Gov. Martin O’Malley and the legislature raided a $5.6 million fund that allows gubernatorial candidates to get campaign finance help from taxpayers.
Called the Fair Campaign Financing Fund, it has been receiving contributions from taxpayers — but mostly just collecting interest — since 1975, said Jared DeMarinis, director of the division of Candidacy and Campaign Finance for the Maryland State Board of Elections. In the 35 years it’s been on the books, the fund has only been tapped into during the 1994 campaign.
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