Maryland lawmakers said they are closer than ever to passing legislation creating a voluntary, publicly funded campaign-finance system for General Assembly members who narrowly blocked the proposal last year.
If the measure passes, Maryland would become the fourth state in the nation to publicly finance campaigns that advocates said are increasingly backed by deep-pocketed special interests. The proposal would provide $7.5 million in state funds to political candidates who voluntarily forego most private contributions.
“I don?t raise hundreds of thousands of dollars ? I?m not ableto and I?d prefer not to,” said Sen. Paul Pinsky, a Prince George?s County Democrat who has sponsored the legislation for the past two years. “Rather than who you know, it?s how many you know and how much they like you.”
Reforms passed the House of Delegates in 2006 and fell one vote short of victory in the Senate last year. Advocates said Wednesday they have counted enough votes to send the reform to Gov. Martin O?Malley?s desk this year, and that no organized groups or individuals testified against the proposal in hearings before committees in both chambers this week.
But the proposal faces at least one high-profile opponent in Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. The Democrat believes public dollars should not be spent on political campaigns ? particularly in tough fiscal times, a spokeswoman said.
Under one proposal, candidates would qualify for public money by collecting $5 or more from 350 registered voters in their district and $6,750 under normal rules. A Senate candidate in a contested primary could receive $50,000, and a House candidate in a contested primary would receive $40,000.
The state could double that amount if a privately financed opponent outspends a publicly financed candidate. Government watchdog groups promoting the bill said the system would pay for itself in decreased subsidies and tax breaks for campaign contributors.
