My Bills - LD 1100
May 13, 2009 -
Last Wednesday, the State and Local Government Committee unanimously passed my bill, LD 1100, "An Act to Preserve Governmental Records." I am calling LD 1100 my "un-mandate bill", because it removes work from the City of Portland and gives it to the State (often, the state passes laws that mandates work for municipalities).
LD 1100 will change how candidates running for municipal office and local referendums in cities and towns with over 15,000 people, including Portland, file campaign finance reports. Currently, municipal candidates and local political action committees running referendums file with the City Clerk, while all candidates for State Legislature must file campaign finance reports with the State. The State keeps reports in electronic form, presumably forever, while the City Clerk's office is only required to keep the records for 2 years, after which they are destroyed.
LD 1100 would shift the record keeping to the State Ethics Commission. It was supported widely by City Clerks and the Ethics Commission because it would make our system of campaign finance disclosure stronger through better record retention and transparency, allow municipalities clerks to spend their time more effectively doing other electoral activities, and save municipal candidates time and confusion through an easier online and single source of guidance.
I am glad the State and Local Government Committee supported my bill, and I am hopeful that is will pass when taken up by the full Legislature.
