Praise for Pataki's Campaign Finance Package
New York, NY —
A government watchdog group is praising Governor Pataki for presenting a campaign finance reform package that it says actually has a chance of becoming law.
REPORTER: In the past, the Governor has offered one bill that the New York Public Interest Research Group said could not pass the legislature, but now the bill has been split in two. One lowers contribution limits and bans soft money. The other requires more disclosure. NYPIRG's Blair Horner says this provision has support in both the assembly and senate.
HORNER: And given that there is not a whole lot of time left, the legislature is only going to be in session for 14 more session days until they are done, it may be the only part that can get done. But it really hinges on whether the governor is willing to use his bully pulpit and the power of his office to get his senate Republican allies to the table.
REPORTER: Currently, New York State political contributors are not required to report who they work for or what they do for a living. NYPIRG says it's important to know this information in order to tell if corporations or law firms are bundling campaign contributions in order to influence lawmakers.
