Austin:  “Once mom and pop operations, Texas political campaigns have become big businesses characterized by ever-expanding appetites for money. While these fundraising operations have taken quantum leaps in cost, complexity and sophistication, public disclosure of the money that these candidates raise is mired in a bygone era of dusty file cabinets,” said Texans for Public Justice Director Craig McDonald.

“If politicians use sophisticated technologies to raise $115 million, is it too much to ask that the public be able to analyze this money with comparable sophistication? Must 21st Century Texans continue to make pilgrimages to Austin and comb through thousands of sheets of paper just to find out who’s bankrolling our elected officials?”

“With computers selling for less than $1,000 and candidates raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, it is laughable to hear some politicians say that it’s too burdensome to require candidates to use a computer to disclose their funding,” McDonald added.

The Senate State Affairs Committee is scheduled to take up HB 2611 today, Thursday May 13. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Sherri Greenberg (D-Austin), requires PACs and candidates to file fundraising reports electronically, which would provide almost immediate public access to the information over the Internet.
 

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