Finance rule changes in Wisconsin measured in dollars

Gov. accountability board was model
for ethics, election oversight

The sinister impact of big-money politics was highlighted this week by self-described good government advocates in Madison.

A loose coalition of groups and lawmakers have complained about the impact of finance rules in Wisconsin and changes that have been made to those rules recently.

Changes that aren’t so good, says Peter Skopec from Wisconsin Public Interest Group.

“I don’t think there was a lot of popular support for increasing contribution limits,” Skopec said, “and making it easier for outside groups to spend unlimited amounts of secret money.”

Skopec says the impact on state politics is measurable in dollars.

So far, in the 2016 presidential campaign, Skopec says spending by outside groups is four times what it was at the same point in 2012

“The government accountability board has been dissolved,” Skopec said. “That was a national model for ethics and election oversight all across the country, heading into an election year without a government accountability board.”