Some Michigan lawmakers say political advertising plays a major role in deciding the outcome of an election, and it needs to be regulated.
State Rep. Chris Ward, R-Brighton, said money donated for advertising is giving special-interest groups too much power.
Ward is the sponsor of a bill that would regulate money given to campaigns by organizations and groups, otherwise known as "soft money."
Ward's bill would not allow any soft money to be spent on political advertising in the last 60 days before a general election or in the last 30 days before a primary election. The bill would not limit donations made by individuals.
"What happens with soft money is organizations and groups that give donations don't have any limitations in spending the money on ads," he said. "That affects the outcome, and nobody knows how much money is spent or who donates it. I think it is an insidious influence."
On a federal level, money going to campaigns already is strictly regulated.
"We have a law that says you can't pay soft money to federal candidates, and as a result of that law, that money will find its way to the states," Ward said. "If we don't have any law like this in place, we may be overwhelmed with that kind of influence here in Michigan."
Ward said he hopes to build more momentum for the bill when the Legislature returns from spring recess on Tuesday. Rich Robinson, director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, said Ward's bill is a step in the right direction.
"What we have here is a bill that addresses a huge problem, but it doesn't address another huge problem: that a few individuals can have a huge influence on a campaign," he said. "The bill is a great start, but it's very incomplete."
Robinson said federal laws limit the amount individuals can donate and also require contributors to file reports on their donations. Ward said he understands that the bill would not fix all the campaign finance problems in Michigan, but that he wanted to keep the bill simple in hopes that it would pass in time for next year's elections.
"It is one very positive step we can do to quickly and effectively make a change," Ward said.
But Mark Brewer, executive chairman for the Michigan Democratic Party, said he thinks the bill is unfair to the Democratic Party.
"Whenever we hear Republicans talk about reform, it is always one-sided," he said. "We have long savored campaign finance reform, but what we don't need is partisan reform."
Brewer said most large individual donations go to the Republican party, and the fact that Ward's bill does not address individual donors would cause the Democratic party to lose more funding than the Republican Party.
The Republican Party also is unsure of Ward's proposed campaign finance reform.
Jeff Stormo, spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party, said he has heard about the bill but is not sure what is being pointed to as the specific problem.
"We are always leery of anything that seeks to restrict people's First Amendment rights," he said. "Giving money to a candidate is a protected right."
