SECURITY COSTS. VP. “The Washington State Patrol plans to nearly double the size of Gov. Jay Inslee’s travelling security detail as he runs for president. The cost would be more than $4 million over two years.”
FL: FINES CONSIDERED. FP. “To ensure the upcoming municipal races don’t get bogged down with runaway spending, St. Petersburg is considering establishing penalties for campaign finance violations.”
ID: OVERHAUL APPROVED. PR. “The bill, which was crafted by an interim legislative committee, would require candidates to file reports more often, every month on the 10th day of each month for the four months before a primary or general election. It would require candidates for local offices to report contributions or spending once they have raised or spent more than $500. And it would create a central, online database, maintained by the Idaho Secretary of State, for reporting all campaign contributions and expenditures from every level of government.”
NY: REFORM QUESTIONS. WAMC. “New York State still has sky-high campaign contribution limits, still allows unlimited donations to party and legislative leadership ‘soft money’ housekeeping accounts, still permits unfettered campaign fundraising during the legislative session, and still lacks adequate independent enforcement.”
OR: FOCUS ON REFORM. OPB. “Even without the host of local and federal protections for political spending, some question if there are persistent loopholes in the system that lead to groups like Priority Oregon.”
TX: MILLIONS IN WARCHEST. HC. “The politician with the largest campaign account in Houston and Harris County — excluding self-funded mayoral candidate Tony Buzbee — has $3.6 million on hand. That exceeds the combined sums of Houston’s incumbent mayor and the Harris County judge, and all but ensures this official would be better-funded than any challenger. He has little use for it, however, because he has been dead for three years.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.