One of the Vermont legislature’s first acts upon reconvening this week may be to vastly increase the amount of money in state politics. 

After failing to reach compromise last spring over competing campaign finance bills, House and Senate negotiators narrowed their differences during the legislative off-season and are scheduled to sign off on a final bill Tuesday morning. Both houses could pass the new version by the end of the week and send it to Gov. Peter Shumlin.

But despite being referred to as “campaign finance reform,” the working compromise would actually increase the amount of money that statewide candidates, political parties and political action committees could raise from individuals and corporations. That has Vermont Public Interest Research Group executive director Paul Burns questioning whether the bill is any better than current law.

“It’s a hard case to make to say this is going to offer any significant improvements in the area of money and politics in Vermont,” he says. “And coming up on the anniversary of Citizens United, it’s certainly a big disappointment to see a state like Vermont not taking more aggressive action in this area.”

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Paul Heintz was part of the Seven Days news team from 2012 to 2020. He served as political editor and wrote the "Fair Game" political column before becoming a staff writer.

4 replies on “Legislature Poised to Raise Campaign Contribution Limits for Candidates, Parties and PACs”

  1. No! This is nothing more than another way to protect Government For The Wealthy! It’s bad enough that our “leaders” (I use the term loosely) are so out of touch with the ever dwindling middle class working people already. We are tired of big government. We are tired of people who vote for a living. We are tired of leaders who answer only to those rich enough to buy their loyalty. We are tired of leaders who take care of themselves at the expense of working taxpayers. We are damn tired of those who choose social services as a way of life. End the madness! This is nothing short of INSANITY!

  2. Campaign finance reform is never over, it just goes on and on, year after year, like a soap opera that never gets cancelled.

  3. Just another way to allow BIG MONEY to move in…I’d like to see serious limits set. All of this money just allows the purchase of politics.

  4. When will we actually see progress on the only solution to this mess: publicly financed campaigns. Seriously, why is Sen. White lamenting the changes but turning her back to the problem of money in politics? The working class has little incentive to vote.

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