SCR123

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 123

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MARCH 24, 1997

By Senator DiFRANCESCO

A Concurrent Resolution establishing the Legislative Evaluation Commission on Campaign Finance Reform.

Whereas, Pursuant to the enactment on March 8, 1993 of P.L.1993, c.65, limits were placed for the first time on the amount of money or other thing of value that could be contributed to or received by a political party organization or a candidate or candidate committee in a non-gubernatorial campaign; and

Whereas, The law also enhanced the integrity and transparency of contributions' reporting by prohibiting candidates from maintaining more than two fundraising organizations; specified the acceptable uses of campaign funds; established rules for the creation and operation of legislative leadership committees; required political action committees and other campaign financing entities to register with the Election Law Enforcement Commission so that the public might better be able to identify their sponsorship and interests; and upgraded penalties for the violation of campaign finance statutes, among other reforms; and

Whereas, The genesis of these reforms was a series of recommendations made in a report issued in October 1990 by the Ad Hoc Commission on Legislative Ethics and Campaign Finance, popularly known as the Rosenthal Commission after its chairman, Professor Alan Rosenthal of Rutgers University; and

Whereas, The four years that have passed since the enactment of P.L.1993, c.65 comprise an entire election cycle, during which the Governor, members of the Legislature, and most local officials will have run for election or re-election under the law; and

Whereas, It is fitting and proper that a new commission be established to examine the effect of P.L.1993, c.65 on elections and campaign finance in this State and to determine whether the limits, restrictions, and other changes made under that act have achieved the purposes of the Ad Hoc Commission in making its recommendations and whether the law continues to provide an effective means of monitoring and controlling contributions in election and re-election campaigns; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):

1. There is established a commission to be known as the "Legislative Evaluation Commission on Campaign Finance Reform" which shall consist of 11 members. The President of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, the Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the General Assembly shall each appoint one legislative member from among the members in the respective houses of the same political party of the appointing officer and one public member. The chairman of the State committee of each of the two political parties whose candidates for Governor received the largest number of votes at the most recent gubernatorial election shall each appoint a member from among the chairmen of the county committees of the chairman's political party. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly shall jointly appoint a public member who shall serve as chairman. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for the necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise available to the commission.

2. Initial appointment of the members of the commission shall be made no earlier than November 5, 1997 and no later than 30 days thereafter. The commission shall organize within 15 days after completion of those initial appointments and shall select a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.

3. It shall be the duty of the commission to review the general public purposes of P.L.1993, c.65; to evaluate the ways and extent to which those public purposes have been achieved through the implementation and enforcement of P.L.1993, c.65, including any revisions thereof since its enactment, and of any rules or regulations promulgated pursuant to the legislation; to determine whether and how, if at all, those public purposes might be more thoroughly and effectively accomplished; and to make recommendations for the enactment of such further legislation, adoption of such new or revised rules and regulations, or implementation of such additional enforcement procedures as would further the intent of the Legislature, in enacting P.L.1993, c.65, to reform the conduct, control and disclosure of campaign financing activity in New Jersey.

4. The commission may meet and hold hearings at such place or places as it shall designate and shall report its findings and recommendations to the appointing authorities and to the members of the Legislature no later than six months after it has organized and held its first meeting, and may accompany the same with any legislative bills which it may desire to recommend for adoption by the Legislature.

STATEMENT

This concurrent resolution establishes the "Legislative Evaluation Commission on Campaign Finance Reform".

The commission is to consist of 11 members. The President of the Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, the Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the General Assembly shall each appoint one legislative member from among the members in the respective houses of the same political party of the appointing officer and one public member. The chairman of the State committee of each of the two political parties whose candidates for Governor received the largest number of votes at the most recent gubernatorial election shall each appoint a member from among the chairmen of the county committees of the chairman's political party. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly shall jointly appoint a public member who shall serve as chairman. The members shall be appointed no earlier than November 5, 1997, the day after the 1997 general election, and no later than 30 days after that date.

It shall be the duty of the commission to review the several public purposes of P.L.1993, c.65, which made extensive changes in "The New Jersey Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Reporting Act". The commission is to review the general public purposes of P.L.1993, c.65; to evaluate the ways and extent to which those public purposes have been achieved through the implementation and enforcement of P.L.1993, c.65, including any revisions thereof since its enactment, and of any rules or regulations promulgated pursuant to the legislation; to determine whether and how, if at all, those public purposes might be more thoroughly and effectively accomplished; and to make recommendations for the enactment of such further legislation, adoption of such new or revised rules and regulations, or implementation of such additional enforcement procedures as would further the intent of the Legislature, in enacting P.L.1993, c.65, to reform the conduct, control and disclosure of campaign financing activity in New Jersey.

It is the intent of the sponsor to introduce a concurrent resolution in the next legislative session to continue this commission in order to enable it to complete its work.

Establishes "Legislative Evaluation Commission on Campaign Finance Reform".