While House Democrats called for bold actions to clean up the ethical mess in state government, majority Republicans insisted on baby steps. These bills may be better than nothing, but they fall well short of the sweeping reform Missourians demand.
The single-most effective thing we could do to restore accountability and integrity in state government would be to reinstate campaign contributions limits, but House Republicans blocked Democratic efforts to even debate the subject.
Since Republican lawmakers defied voters and repealed contribution limits in 2008, a handful of mega-donors have wielded significant influence over our elections, sometimes handing out single checks topping $1 million. Given this reality, it's no wonder Missourians believe state government is for sale.
Reinstating campaign contribution caps would give control of our elections back to Missouri voters and serve as an important check against government by the highest bidder. Until we do so, we will never have true reform.
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