The Committee on Assembly Organization unanimously passed a policy change Wednesday prohibiting members of the Assembly from fundraising during budget deliberations.
Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville, sent a memo to Assembly members warning anyone violating the fundraising ban, which lasts from the moment the governor introduces the budget until the Legislature adopts it, could face consequences such as removal of a leadership position, removal from a committee and loss of staff.
This change is a victory for voters, who expect us to deliver a new way of doing business,"" Sheridan said in a statement.
Committee vice-chair state Rep. Tom Nelson, D-Kaukauna, said he expects the measure to be very effective and called it ""the most significant campaign finance and budget reform in the last generation.""
""The proposal is an attempt to remove any appearance of impropriety of raising money while you're voting to spend the state's money,"" said Jim Bender, spokesperson for committee member and Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon.
However, Bender said the downside of the new policy is it lacks any legal ramifications for violators and does not apply to the entire Legislature and the governor.
""The theory of banning fundraising during the budget is what they were voting for,"" Bender said of the three Republicans on the committee. ""The mechanism by which the Democrats did this though we disagreed with.""
State Rep. Mark Gottlieb, R-Port Washington, re-introduced a bill that failed last session that would ban fundraising during budget proceedings for both houses of the Legislature and the governor. He said he is optimistic about the bill's chances this session because Sheridan indicated he intends to move forward with it.
Bender said the ban's effect on overall fundraising totals is unknown because not all lawmakers raised money during budget proceedings.
