Posted by Phil Lee (208.19.133.132) on January 11, 2001 at 10:48:
Del. Dembrow leads effort to publically fund his campaigns along with Delegates Hurson, McIntosh, Bobo, Clagett, Dypski, Mandel, Barve, Fulton, Goldwater, Grosfeld, Hecht, Heller, Love, Marriott, Menes, Montague, Pendergrass, Pitkin, Rosenberg, Rosso, and Turner. The Bill he tried to get passed in the 2000 session was HB 999 entitiled:
Election Laws - Public Financing Campaign Act for Candidates for the General Assembly. Fortunately, the bill did not pass.
The introduction of the bill reads:
12 (A) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND RECOGNIZES THAT A SYSTEM
13 FOR THE PUBLIC FINANCING OF CAMPAIGNS NOW EXISTS FOR CANDIDATES FOR
14 GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR IN THE STATE AND FINDS AND DECLARES
15 THAT AN ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM OF PUBLICLY FINANCED CAMPAIGNS FOR
16 CANDIDATES SEEKING ELECTION TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS IN THE PUBLIC
17 INTEREST OF THE STATE.
18 (B) IN FURTHERANCE OF THIS PUBLIC INTEREST, A SYSTEM OF PUBLIC
19 FINANCING OF ELECTIONS FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WILL ELIMINATE THE
20 REAL AND PERCEIVED CONFLICTS OF INTEREST THAT ARISE FROM LARGE PRIVATE
21 CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES BY PROVIDING THE CANDIDATES A SYSTEM OF
22 PUBLIC RESOURCES THAT WILL:
23 (1) ALLOW VIABLE CANDIDATES TO RUN COMPETITIVE CAMPAIGNS
24 REGARDLESS OF THEIR ACCESS TO WEALTH;
25 (2) INCREASE VOTER CHOICE IN ELECTIONS;
26 (3) CONTROL THE RISING COSTS OF POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS; AND
27 (4) FREE CANDIDATES FROM RELENTLESS FUND-RAISING AND
28 THEREBY ALLOW CANDIDATES TO SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND NOT JUST THE
29 SPECIAL INTERESTS.
30 (C) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FURTHER FINDS AND DECLARES THAT
31 CAMPAIGNS FINANCED WITH PUBLIC RESOURCES WILL HELP RESTORE
32 CONFIDENCE AND TRUST IN GOVERNMENT AND PROMOTE DEMOCRACY BY
33 INCREASING COMPETITION IN ELECTIONS FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. FURTHER,
34 INCREASED COMPETITION IN ELECTIONS WILL CREATE A POLITICAL MARKETPLACE
35 FOR IDEAS AND CAUSE ELECTIONS TO CHANGE FROM WEALTH-BASED CAMPAIGNS
36 TO IDEA-BASED CAMPAIGNS.