CT Clean Election Action Item

Support Public Financed Clean Election Campaigns
In Connecticut!

As of 2004, four states have passed "clean election" laws (Maine, Vermont, Arizona, Massachusetts) laws that provide public money for state election campaigns if a candidate agrees to strict spending limits. Connecticut's legislature passed a clean election bill in 2000 but it was vetoed by Governor Rowland, for reasons that have become painfully clear in Connecticut.

Today, the prospects for public financed campaigns in Connecticut is looking pretty good and you can help make them better!

Rowland's corruption started on the campaign trail where he accepted nearly half a million dollars in campaign contributions from the Tomasso companies and the subcontractors associated with the three state construction projects that have come under federal investigation.  Under Rowland's tenure, Tomasso was awarded more than $100 million in no-bid contracts. In the wake of Rowland's "pay to play" style of campaigning and governing, Connecticut Residents are fighting to pass Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform. It's time for a new kind of politics in Connecticut.

Currently, Governor Jodi Rell has proposed a package to overhaul Connecticut's campaign finance laws. Her plan includes provisions to: lower the amount individuals can give to candidates, prohibit a person, legislative caucus or organization from having more than one PAC; and create a $100 state income tax deduction for contributions to campaigns that agree to voluntary spending limits.
Reform organizations are pushing the legislature to pass the Governor's plan along with a provision to provide public financing for gubernatorial campaigns.

The two main bills proposed for the public financing effort, collectively dubbed "The Clean Elections Bills", have successfully passed out of the finance and appropriations committees of the Connecticut House of Representatives with strong bi-partisan support (Monday, May 16th 2005) and the House floor vote will likely be the end of this week or early next week. The deadline for passage of election related legislation is now less than three weeks away (June 1st, 2005).

Please call everyone, the Governor, your state reps and senators today to express your support for public financed campaigns (The Clean Elections reforms) and Governor Rell's campaign finance reforms in Connecticut.

CT House Democrats - 1 800 842 1902
CT House Republicans - 1 800 842 1423
CT Senate Democrats - 1 800 842 1420
CT Senate Republicans - 1 800 842 1421
Govenor Jodi Rell - 1 800 406 1527