Gov. Bill Richardson announced today that he’s proposing a ban on campaign contributions from corporations, contractors and lobbyists and a second piece of legislation that would require contractors to register with the state and disclose information including contributions.
In doing so, the governor is taking on what is at least a perception of a pay-to-play culture in Santa Fe at a time when his administration is dogged by pay-to-play allegations.
“I’m proud of the reforms we’ve enacted since I’ve taken office, including gift limits, public financing for appellate judges and a ban on contractor campaign contributions during the procurement process,” Richardson said in a news release. “I’m urging lawmakers to expand on those reforms and to break the logjam that has blocked our past efforts to create strong and meaningful ethics laws.”
Richardson called the new proposals the “strongest pieces” in his legislative package, which also includes the creation of an independent ethics commission, campaign contribution limits for candidates and political action committees, public financing for statewide candidates, stricter and more frequent campaign reporting and a rule prohibiting legislators from becoming lobbyists for one year after leaving office.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a question about who would be sponsoring the new bills, which the news release said would be introduced this week. Sen. Tim Keller, D-Albuquerque, is already sponsoring a bill that would ban all campaign contributions to statewide elected officials from state contractors and prospective contractors.
Richardson’s proposal would go much further in also banning contributions from corporations and lobbyists.
The governor is currently dogged by two pay-to-play controversies. The first is an ongoing federal grand jury investigation into allegations that the administration traded a lucrative state bond contract for $110,000 in contributions to Richardson’s political committees and his 2006 gubernatorial campaign.
The second comes in a civil lawsuit filed on behalf of the state and alleges that his administration made state investments with Vanderbilt Financial and affiliated companies in exchange for a little more than $15,000 in contributions to Richardson’s 2008 presidential campaign. The state ended up losing $90 million in the investment deals.
Richardson has convened two ethics task forces during his tenure and proposed substantive ethics reform every year since 2007, but few significant changes have been approved by the Legislature.