Snyder signs law that boosts campaign spending limits, but keeps issue ad donors secret | Crain's Detroit Business:
In a reversal of his position as a gubernatorial candidate, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law Friday a campaign finance bill that will continue to keep secret the names of donors who pay for issue ads.
...Under current law, those who pay for such ads do not have to be disclosed.
...In a statement Friday, Snyder hailed the campaign finance bill for providing an "unprecedented level of transparency," as the bill will require, for the first time, organizations responsible for election-related robocalls to be disclosed.
...Rich Robinson, of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, panned the robocall disclosure provision as weak.
"Michigan voters can look forward to hearing that they have been called by the Committee for God and Country, Commonsense Advocates, or some equally benign-sounding and meaningless committee names," Robinson said in a statement. "Most disclaimers will reveal nothing about who is sponsoring the electioneering messages we get by phone - just as the disclaimers on phony TV issue ads reveal nothing about the funders' identities."
The bill also doubles the amount individuals can donate to political candidates. Contribution limits to statewide offices such as governor and university regents will increase from $3,400 to $6,800. Senate and House limits will double to $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.
The bill also increases from $100 to $1,000 the amount of free food and drinks a lawmaker can receive from an individual before having to report it as a contribution on his or her campaign finance report.
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