FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Bill Thomas House Democratic Communications Office Phone: 717-787-7895 Fax: 717-783-6839 Email: wthomas@pahouse.net	State Rep. Gregory Vitali D-Delaware www.pahouse.com/vitali
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Vitali reintroduces Gubernatorial Public Financing Act

HARRISBURG, June 5 – State Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, has reintroduced legislation that would limit individual campaign contributions and provide public financing in races for Pennsylvania governor and lieutenant governor, as well as limit campaign spending for candidates who accept public financing for their campaigns.

Vitali’s Gubernatorial Public Financing Act (H.B. 1497) is modeled after New Jersey’s successful public financing system for gubernatorial candidates, which Vitali said has resulted in competitive elections focused primarily on the issues.

Under Vitali’s bill, contributions to candidates for governor and lieutenant governor from individuals, groups and political action committees would be capped at $5,000 in the primary election campaign and $5,000 in the general election campaign. In addition, candidates could choose to receive public financing for their campaigns in return for agreeing to voluntary campaign spending limits of $22.5 million. Those receiving public financing would receive a two-to-one match, meaning for every $1 raised, a candidate would receive $2 in public financing, up to $14.5 million.

“Pennsylvania remains one of just a handful of states that have not enacted meaningful campaign finance legislation,” Vitali said. “This bill would be an important first step in reforming Pennsylvania’s campaign finance system and reducing the influence of special interest money in our elections.”

Vitali said campaign fund-raising and spending in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial races has increased exponentially over the past three decades. In 1978 Richard Thornburgh spent about $8 million to get elected governor. By 1994 Tom Ridge had spent about $14 million to get elected to his first term, and in 2006 Gov. Ed Rendell raised and spent more than $30 million to get elected. Special interest contributions to Rendell’s campaign included more than $1.2 million from the Democratic Governor’s Association, more than $532,000 from the Pennsylvania State Education Association, $250,000 from the Laborers’ Political League, and $202,000 from the Trial Lawyers Association.

“Spending of this size excludes all but the most well-connected candidates and, worse, makes the winner indebted to a small group of special interest contributors,” Vitali said. “A candidate whose prime source of financing is special interest money will naturally consider the concerns of those donors over those of average Pennsylvanians. By using public dollars to fund the bulk of these campaigns, we can shift the focus of the candidates to the issues that the public, and not the special interests, care about.”

In addition to voluntary spending limits, the legislation would also require candidates for governor and lieutenant governor who accept public money for their campaigns to participate in two primary election debates and three general election debates. Public funding for gubernatorial campaigns would be financed by a $5 voluntary check-off on state income tax returns and a General Fund appropriation.

Vitali’s measure has passed the House in previous sessions, but has not been acted on by the Senate.

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