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Not all jump on finance reform bandwagon

"We might have a suggestion ourselves," a House GOP leader says as some in his party back a Democratic plan to limit special interest money.

By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published March 11, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - An effort by Democrats to block lawmakers from controlling political committees with special interest money is drawing Republican support, and one top House Republican isn't happy about it.

Five House Republicans, including two from the Tampa Bay area, endorse bills that would bar lawmakers from relying on committees to advance personal political aims or pay for political overhead such as polls, consultants, travel, meals and cell phones.

The committees, known as 527s or CCEs, are exempt from Florida's $500 contribution limit, allowing lawmakers to solicit checks of as much as $25,000 from special interests. Nearly a third of the Legislature's 160 members have at one time had committees; several have had more than one at a time. They have been most popular among Republican senators.

Within hours of Democrats' launching the proposals Wednesday, their anti-soft money pledge had gained the signatures of Reps. Randy Johnson, R-Celebration; Charlie Dean, R-Inverness; Dave Russell, R-Brooksville; Bob Allen, R-Merritt Island; and Nancy Detert, R-Venice.

"I think this should be a bipartisan issue," Detert said. But as Democrats cheered the support from Republicans, Rep. Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, the House majority leader whose job is to keep GOP lawmakers in line on key issues, suggested to other GOP lawmakers that they not endorse the Democrats' bills.

"I had some members ask me some questions about it," Gardiner said. "I said that we may roll something out ourselves, and don't get too far out there. We might have a suggestion ourselves."

Gardiner said it would be wrong to portray the House Republican leadership as trying to obstruct campaign finance reform. He noted that his colleagues spearheaded a surprising and successful effort in December to ban lobbyist-paid drinks, meals and gifts to lawmakers and their staffs and executive branch employees.

Rather, Gardiner said, with the nine-week session only a week old, Republicans should wait for their party to offer a separate proposal.

The sponsors of the bills, Sen. Nan Rich, D-Weston, and Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, said the ban on lobbyist-paid meals and gifts did not address the larger problem of special interests buying access through large unregulated contributions.

In a bid for Republican support, they criticized fellow Democrats who used such committees as magnets for five-figure donations.

"You shouldn't be able to ask for 100 grand in the political process," Gelber said. "It's overwhelming. It's simply too much."

Detert, who's running for the Sarasota area congressional seat held by Rep. Katherine Harris, thinks her constituents are fed up with the role of money in politics.

"I just think politics has become too much of a war game and not enough about good government," she said.

Sen. James King, R-Jacksonville, formed two committees and raised $241,000 to pay for his successful bid for Senate president in 2002. He said the committees are needed so legislators who are not rich can pay for extensive statewide travel, meals and other costs of seeking leadership positions.

"We don't take an oath of poverty. . . . You've got to have some way of paying for it," King said.

Steve Bousquet is at 850 224-7263 or bousquet@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 11, 2006, 01:42:13]