Decision ends questions about sizable donation from national teacher's group
NewsOK
BY JULIE BISBEE
Published: September 18, 2010
A group promoting the passage of a constitutional amendment to mandate funding for common education will be able to keep nearly $1.7 million in contributions from a national teacher's group.
In a unanimous vote Friday, state Ethics Commission members voted not to enforce a ban on transfers from a political action committee to a committee backing a ballot measure. The decision means Yes on 744, the group backing State Question 744, can keep nearly $1.7 million in donations it has received from the National Education Association.
State law prohibits in-state or out-of-state political action committees from transferring funds to other political action committees in the state, but commissioners decided that law shouldn't apply to funds being transferred from a political action committee that gives to committees that back ballot measures.
Two U.S. Supreme Court cases say contributions to ballot measure committees can't be limited or political speech and participation is limited. The commission is trying to make the state's rules comply with existing laws, said Marilyn Hughes, the commission's executive director... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Sat, September 18, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski