Posted on 07/29/2004 5:22:51 AM PDT by TaxRelief
Legislation done in haste often comes with regrets.
And lawmakers and political activists could soon be offering regrets about a bill that puts new limits on "electioneering communications" that passed the General Assembly in the waning hours of the 2004 short session.
The bill, which has already been signed into law by Gov. Mike Easley, restricts corporate donations to special political groups. According to an Associated Press report, it bars the use of corporate and union donations to these groups for any radio or TV ads that clearly mention a statewide or legislative candidate 30 days before a primary election or 60 days before a general election.
It also applies to the use of such funds for mass mailings and telephone calls.
In short, the bill writes many of the provisions of the horrible McCain-Feingold federal campaign finance law into the North Carolina General Statutes.
One of the worst things about the law is that penalties for violating the law take effect on Oct. 1, barely one month before the November general election. (snip)
Then the House, in the early morning hours of the last day of session, gave its approval without even having a committee hearing on it.
There was no time for organizations affected by the legislation to come to the General Assembly to argue the pros and cons of the bill. You'd think that legislators would want more input from every corner of the political spectrum...
(Excerpt) Read more at kinston.com ...
She said and your legislators are doing it.
"We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." Hillary 6/29/2004
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