Millionaires, Corporations, Lobbyists and General Assembly Elites Get New Power

Statement from Bob Hall, Executive Director, Democracy North Carolina, September 25, 2015

The bill that changes the date of the 2016 primary election includes an unrelated, terrible section that will greatly expand pay-to-play politics in North Carolina. This last-minute addition allows the top four legislative leaders to create political slush funds that can receive unlimited donations from special interests, wealthy donors, corporations and lobbyists!

Section 3 of H-373 calls these slush funds “affiliated party committees,” but they are actually bank accounts completely controlled by one person – either the House Speaker, Senate President Pro Tem, or the House or Senate minority party leader. The bill says no money may be “expended except when authorized by the leader.”

Unlike a legislator’s campaign account, these new slush funds can accept limitless donations from lobbyists or corporations, even while the legislature is in session.  Duke Energy, hog barons, gambling interests or a private contractor could pour money into a fund as a key bill is being debated. The money can be used to help elect or defeat candidates or for “daily operations” deemed relevant to the leader.

These changes take us backwards. They undercut the reforms adopted after the deal-making scandals involving House Speaker Jim Black a decade ago. They give wealthy special interests new ways to dominate NC politics. And they create new ways for legislative leaders to sell access, steer money into their pet causes, and exert control over other legislators.

Gov. Pat McCrory should veto this corrosive expansion of power for elites in the General Assembly. As a candidate, he pledged to fight pay-to-play politics and corruption. Now he has the opportunity to show leadership by vetoing this bill and calling for new legislation that only changes the primary election date.

Here are links to the bill and legislative staff’s summary:

http://democracyncarchive.org/downloads/H373-2015.pdf

http://democracyncarchive.org/downloads/H373-2015-Summary.pdf

Here are two news stories about the changes:

http://abc11.com/politics/legislators-vote-for-all-nc-primaries-in-march/999421/

http://www.wral.com/bill-creating-new-political-party-organs-stirs-conflict-among-nc-republicans/14923774/#6tgCeZDOgXvQxlci.99