Jay Heck
Should legislators be allowed to raise campaign cash while the state budget is being negotiated? “The public, who sees these decisions being made by and large being made behind closed doors, would have at least somewhat more confidence that legislators weren’t selling their votes and the provisions in the budget, to the highest bidder,” said Jay Heck with Common Cause in Wisconsin.
Heck noted that a number of states prohibit the practice. He said it just makes sense that lawmakers refrain from fundraising while the budget is being worked on. “This is a period of about roughly 7 months, when they should be prohibited from fund raising,” Heck said. “It’s a full year before the campaign season begins for reelection.”
In recent weeks a couple of legislators – one Republican and one Democrat in the Senate – have scheduled, and canceled, fundraisers after being “called out” by Common Cause.