A state Senate committee held a public hearing Tuesday regarding several campaign finance reform bills, though two influential interest groups oppose the bills.
The bills would allow more public funding for candidates. They would also force special interest groups to disclose their funding for political ads.
Mike McCabe, director of the group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said the bills have bipartisan support.
McCabe said there are many lawmakers in the state Assembly who wish to pass the bills but said the important issue is whether the Assembly legislative leaders would allow the bills to be voted on.
Julie Laundrie, spokesperson for state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, author of campaign finance bill SB 12, said many lawmakers support the bill. Erpenbach is also the vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Campaign Finance Reform, Rural Issues and Information Technology.
Laundrie said there are several lobbyist groups, such as the business group Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the anti-abortion organization Wisconsin Right to Life, that oppose the bill and may make it difficult for them to pass.
McCabe said reform is necessary, as many state polls show Wisconsin residents support changing the current system.
[Polls] show that the public is very concerned about political corruption and the public is losing faith in the integrity of state elected officials and state government,"" McCabe said.
Laundrie said people running for office either need a lot of money or have support from a major interest group. She said running for state positions should be more accessible to a broader range of people.
""By reforming the campaign finance system we would clean up elections, restore people's beliefs in a good campaign system here in Wisconsin and really achieve the goal of a better electoral process."" Laundrie said.
WRL gave written testimony in opposition to the bills at the hearing.
The organization said SB 12 does not support the first amendment right to freedom of speech.
According to the group, voting record information and issue ads about politicians that air 60 days before the election should not be regulated.
Advertisements that do not specifically endorse a candidate should also not be regulated, WRL said.
