Campaign and ethics reform came one step closer to becoming law Wednesday when the state Senate passed three reform bills.
Senate Bill 77 would force organizations that use issue ads to report on their finances and expenditures. The bill would require reporting from any group that mentions a candidate's name, state office or political party in an ad within 60 days of an election. State Sen. John Erpenbach, D-Middleton, said in a release the legislation is largely in response to the $3 million spent on issue ads in the recent state Supreme Court race.
""This is common sense, bipartisan legislation requiring everyone to play by the same rules,"" Erpenbach said.
The bill passed 26 to seven, showing more bipartisan support than SB 170, which passed largely along partisan lines at 19 to 14. SB 170 would force judges to disclose when they have a financial conflict of interest in cases on which they may rule. This bill is also partially responding to the current ethics inquiries going on against state Supreme Court Judge-elect Annette Zielger.
Both bills will now go to the Republican-controlled state Assembly. Josh Wescott, spokesperson for state Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, said the passage of the bills was a victory for fighting corruption.
""We think it's a great day for disclosure and reform,"" Wescott said.
State Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, said he was unsure if the bills would to pass in the Assembly. The Assembly Republicans are ""stonewalling"" on reform, according to Black.
""They lost the Senate and most of their majority in the Assembly largely on the basis of their unethical conduct,"" Black said.
An ethics reform bill also passed in the state Senate Wednesday, requiring former legislators to wait one year before they could begin work as lobbyists. Black introduced the bill in the Assembly, and it passed 30 to three.
Republican state Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and Assembly Speaker Michael Huebsch, R-West Salem, were unavailable as of press time.
