Legislature mulls clean government bills

Bills still alive in the Legislature aim to expand controls on lobbyists and add support for candidates who agree to limit their campaign fundraising. House Bill 412 voids state contracts with parties violating lobbying laws — and expands the definition of lobbying to include communications with “high-level government officials”; HB 413 makes it illegal for lobbyists to make campaign contributions during legislative sessions.

Senate Bill 289 makes fines uniform for violations of the ethics code or lobbyist law, streamlining the process; SB 345 doubles public matching funds for qualifying candidates, to $2 for every $1 in contributions.