AZ Senate approves Clean Elections compromise, sends to House

April 03, 2012

A compromise plan that would keep the state’s system of publicly-funded political campaigns in place, but with some changes, is headed to the Arizona House. The state senate approved the plan Tuesday. From Phoenix, KJZZ’s Mark Brodie reports.

TArizona Capitol Arizona Capitol (Photo by Mark Brodie - KJZZ)

MARK BRODIE: Instead of asking voters to essentially gut Clean Elections, the legislature wants to make some changes to it. That includes putting new restrictions on the system’s education program, meaning, for example, Clean Elections will be able to promote debates, but not itself. The deal also removes the option for Arizonans to take a tax credit for donating to Clean Elections on their state income tax form. The system’s critics had been poised to ask voters to ban public money for campaigns. But, they say these changes, along with last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down matching funds, should get rid of the parts of the law they find objectionable. Tuesday’s 29-0 vote in the Senate sends the bill back to the House for a final vote.