News Clips

Sean McMorris, transparency, ethics and accountability program manager at California Common Cause, questioned why staff, rather than the commissioners, didn’t talk to Ardent. “If the meeting was to hash out the contract and tell the company that they’re going to vote for them, and what the contract would look like — that sort of thing shouldn’t be happening in a private forum,” he said. “Even if it’s legal, it doesn’t seem appropriate,” McMorris added.

Common Cause, a D.C. watchdog group that, according to its website, works to “ensure that every vote counts, that every eligible voter has an equal say, that our elections represent the will of the people, and that our government is of, by, and for the people,” filed a complaint in May 2021, alleging that Greene violated the “soft money” ban in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971 for “soliciting unlimited contributions.” The group declared that under federal campaign finance law, federal candidates and officeholders are not allowed to “solicit… funds in connection with an election for Federal office… unless the funds are subject to the limitations, prohibitions, and reporting requirements” of the FECA. They added that Greene was only permitted to request on behalf of the super PAC up to $5,000 from an individual donor, and no corporate or union funds.

The citizens’ lobby Common Cause calls the nationwide movement for a convention “the most serious threat to our democracy, flying almost completely under the radar.” What can you do? Sign Common Cause’s online petition opposing an Article V convention. Track how your legislator votes on these bad bills. Then vote against anybody who thinks this is a good idea.

John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, said the bill limit might amount to "inside baseball" for the legislature. "But it's incredibly important inside baseball because it affects how representatives are able to represent their constituents," he said. "When you watch 'School House Rock,' no one says, 'That poor bill sitting on Capitol Hill can only have 14 friends,' " Marion said, referring to a series of educational cartoons that ran on Saturday morning TV in the 1970s and '80s, including "I'm Just A Bill," on how a bill becomes a law. Marion said it's understandable why the House wants to cap the number of bills each member can introduce. "Agendas have gotten terribly long in recent years and hearings are continuing late into the night," he said. "Too often, the sponsors of the bills themselves don't even show up for the hearings because they're in another committee or have left the building and gone to a fundraiser." But, Marion said, "Any limit needs to be weighed against the fact that introducing legislation is one of the primary means by which legislators represent their constituents. The 16th good idea a legislator has shouldn't necessarily have to wait until next year. There should be reasonable exceptions to any limit." Marion said some bills are poorly drafted, stand little chance of passage, and appear aimed only at making headlines. "But it doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to put that bill in," he said. And Marion said the bill limit should not become yet another thing, such as office assignments and parking spaces, that legislative leaders can use to reward or punish individual members. "Any limits should come with clear exceptions," he said, "and those should be debated and codified in the House rules."

“The time has come to enact some commonsense reforms… and enter the modern era,” said Mario Jimenez, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico. “The public is behind it, and the reforms are long overdue.” The organization’s survey showed that 64% of respondents supported legislator salaries, and 70% supported longer sessions. Support cut across party and regional lines.

“The delegates could write amendments that revoke any of our most cherished rights — like our right to peaceful protest, our freedom of religion, or our right to privacy,” the progressive watchdog group Common Cause warns. Hyperbole? Maybe. The point is we simply don’t know.