{"id":218,"date":"2021-09-15T11:20:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T11:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-releases\/common-cause-massachusetts-urges-legislative-committee-to-favorably-report-bills-limiting-foreign-influence-on-massachusetts-elections-and-allowing-campaign-funds-to-be-used-for-ch"},"modified":"2021-09-15T11:20:58","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T11:20:58","slug":"common-cause-massachusetts-urges-legislative-committee-to-favorably-report-bills-limiting-foreign-influence-on-massachusetts-elections-and-allowing-campaign-funds-to-be-used-for-childcare-expenses","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press\/common-cause-massachusetts-urges-legislative-committee-to-favorably-report-bills-limiting-foreign-influence-on-massachusetts-elections-and-allowing-campaign-funds-to-be-used-for-childcare-expenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Cause Massachusetts Urges Legislative Committee to Favorably Report Bills Limiting Foreign Influence on Massachusetts Elections and Allowing Campaign Funds to be Used for Childcare Expenses"},"template":"","class_list":["post-218","press","type-press","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","press_type-press-release"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"Common Cause Massachusetts urges the Committee to report favorably on three bills to limit political spending by foreign-influenced corporations; and two bills that would permit parents who are candidates for public office to use campaign funds to pay for childcare.","featured_image":6117,"press_type":146,"authors":["{\"site_id\":\"1\",\"post_type\":\"person\",\"post_id\":7814}"],"related_issues":[92,109,462,464],"related_work":false,"location":24},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":null,"name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Massachusetts Joint Committee on Election Laws will hold a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Events\/Hearings\/Detail\/3957\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">public hearing beginning at noon today<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The Committee will hear legislation including: three bills to limit political spending by foreign-influenced corporations; and two bills that would permit parents who are candidates for public office to use campaign funds to pay for childcare.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cVoters are concerned about the influence of special interest political spending \u2013 and particularly concerned about foreign influence on our elections,\u201d said <\/span><b>Common Cause Massachusetts Executive Director Geoff Foster<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u201cCurrent law prohibits foreign governments and foreign citizens (except lawful permanent residents) from spending money in state elections. Yet a loophole allows foreign money to enter our politics through political spending by corporations. These three bills will all help to close this loophole for our Massachusetts state elections.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cOur country\u2019s Founders were rightly worried about foreign influence in elections, fearing that Europe would try to corrupt and undermine the new Republic\u2019s independence,\u201d Foster will tell the Committee in his testimony. \u201cHere, at the Birthplace of the American Revolution, we should act now to protect our own state\u2019s democracy. Please give these bills a favorable report.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Common Cause Massachusetts will also endorse two bills being heard by the Committee that allow campaign funds to be used for childcare.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIf we are to have a \u2018government of the people,\u2019 it\u2019s crucial that our elected officials reflect the full range of our lived experiences \u2013 and that includes parents from working families,\u201d Foster said. \u201cWe know the cost of childcare is a barrier to potential candidates, and we know our democracy is less robust if these candidates are kept on the sidelines. Common Cause Massachusetts believes the Commonwealth should join the growing number of jurisdictions that allow candidates to use campaign funds to pay for childcare, and we urge the Committee to give both these bills a favorable report.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b>Common Cause Vice President of State Operations Pam Wilmot<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was a member of the Special Commission on Family Care and Child Care Services which released its<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Bills\/191\/S2833.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> last December, recommending \u201cthat the Commonwealth of Massachusetts allow campaign fund expenditures for childcare needs.\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/press-release\/common-cause-taps-long-time-massachusetts-director-pam-wilmot-for-nationwide-leadership-role\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wilmot previously served<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as the Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts for more than two decades.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To watch the Committee hearing, which starts at noon today, click <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Events\/Hearings\/Detail\/3957\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To read Foster\u2019s prepared testimony, click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/massachusetts\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/09\/JCEL-Testimony-Sep-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>"}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - 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