Pridemore’s campaign practices bill approved

State Sen. Craig Pridemore’s bill to crack down on deceptive campaign practices is headed to Gov. Chris Gregoire’s desk after the Senate passed it unanimously Thursday.

Senate Bill 5021 will make it harder for individuals and groups that sponsor and pay for political messages to hide their identities and agendas.

“In recent years, we’ve seen a sharp increase in efforts to hide the agendas of donors and the source of money used in political campaigns,” Pridemore, D-Vancouver, said. “When this information is hidden, voters are less able to know whether a vote is truly in their best interest.”

The bill was triggered by a case last summer in which a Seattle consulting group, Moxie Media, was accused of concealing funding from progressive groups for a fake conservative attack on former state Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, by creating several layers of political action committees. After the scheme came to light, the attorney general’s office launched an investigation of Moxie Media for alleged violations of campaign disclosure laws.

SB 5021 lowers the dollar threshold for reporting campaign donations and increases penalties for violating campaign finance disclosure laws to a maximum of $10,000 per complaint or violation.

Under the law, any PAC that contributes to another PAC must have at least 10 contributions of $10 each; no two PACs may have the same name; and organizations are prohibited from creating multiple PACs representing different sides in the same race or ballot measure.