Sen. Anthony Pollina (P/D-Washington) Credit: Nancy Remsen
Senate lawmakers advanced a proposal Tuesday that would ban campaign contributions made directly by corporations to political candidates or parties. Under the legislation, corporate money could still find its way into Vermont’s elections, but it would have to move through a political action committee first.

The Senate Government Operations Committee approved the bill in a 4–1 vote Tuesday afternoon, with only Sen. Brian Collamore (R-Rutland) opposing it. The full Senate is likely to take it up later this week.

The legislation would allow individuals, PACs and political parties to contribute directly to candidates and parties, but it would bar private companies, nonprofit organizations, trade associations and labor unions from doing so. Sen. Anthony Pollina (P/D-Washington) sponsored the legislation in an effort to limit corporate influence in politics and increase transparency in campaign financing.

“The less the merrier, as far as I’m concerned,” Sen. Alison Clarkson (D-Windsor) said of corporate contributions as the committee prepared to vote on the legislation.

Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, said the bill is “a step in the right direction” and an important acknowledgment that corporate money is a problem in politics.

The Senate passed a bill last year that would have taken a different approach to limiting corporate contributions by capping the amount companies could donate, but that legislation never passed the House. Previous versions of the legislation have died in committee and on the Senate floor. 

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3 replies on “Vermont Senate to Vote on Corporate Contribution Ban”

  1. This bill will ultimately fail when it is challenged in the courts. That is because there are two stupendously idiotic ideas that pervade American “democracy”. They are : 1) Corporations are “people” and , 2) Money is “speech”.

    Corporations seem to enjoy all of the pleasant and profitable things of personhood with out being burdened by any of the responsibilities and they are usually being run by a psychopath . If money is indeed “speech” then whoever has the most money talks the loudest, drowning out those who, because of their lack of monetary vocal cords, will not be heard. Some folks like to refer to this as “American Exceptionalism” and “liberty and freedom”. It is oligarchy and cannibalism.

    But we do live in cannibalistic and kleptocratic times, in fact it is celebrated in many quarters. Just watch the goose steppers on Fox News or the supposedly “liberal” MSNBC and see for yourself. It is all right there in plain sight.

  2. NorthOldEnder I would welcome a ban on all money from ALL PACS and ALL Corporations. I find a lot of the PACS as insidious as if not more so than Corporations at times.

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