Untitled Document Breaking Press Release from Public Campaign Action Fund:
Wisconsin Republicans Vote Against Workers – Raise Money From DC Lobbyists
http://campaignmoney.org/press-room/2011/03/10/wisconsin-republicans-vote-against-workers

Campaign Finance/Ethics

Brooklyn Senator, Carl Kruger, to Surrender on Corruption Charges

• “Mr. Kruger had been under investigation by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn who were looking into accusations that he had helped businessmen surmount bureaucratic hurdles in exchange for assistance raising campaign money, but the charges stemmed from an investigation by Manhattan federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Walker’s Budget Proposal Changes Public Financing of Supreme Court Races
As if Gov. Scott Walker (R) hadn’t done enough to harm Wisconsin, he now wants to remove the specified check-off amount on income tax forms that is used to fund the state’s new Impartial Justice Law – and eliminate matching funds.

• Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s Mike McCabe: “What this would do is effectively eviscerate the program and return us to the days when we’ve had Supreme Court auctions instead of elections. This act (Impartial Justice Law) was meant to liberate candidates from that money chase.”

Lax Internal Revenue Service Rules Help Groups Shield Campaign Donors Identities

Changes to Campaign Finance Law Warranted
The Washington state Senate has passed a law to tighten campaign-finance regulations and increase fines and criminal sanctions for violations.
 
Congress

Wisconsin Dispute Could Mobilize Democratic Base
Nate Silver discusses how the actions of Gov. Walker and the state Senate Republicans could cause a power shift both at the state and national level.
 
Congressional Freshman Include Dozens of Millionaires, Financial Disclosures Show
Not a big surprise – many new lawmakers are far wealthier than the people they represent.

• “The Center for Responsive Politics calculates that 60 percent of Senate freshmen and 40 percent of new House lawmakers are worth $1 million or more.”

McCaskill to Return $88k to Treasury for Charter Flights
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-M.O.) spent big bucks in public funds to fly on a charter plane she co-owns – and will now return the money.
 
Romney Dispatches Donations to 45 House Republicans
In another sign that Mitt Romney is trying to build support for a Republican Presidential run his, “Free and Strong America PAC sent a total of $93,000 in donations to 45 Republican lawmakers, adding to previous donations this year to GOP senators.”
 
Other
Labor Vows to Step Up Recall Effort Against Wisconsin GOP, Challenge Anti-Union Bill in Court
Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wisc.) has made his priorities perfectly clear after he and his allies pushed through a stand alone bill that strips public employees of their collective bargaining rights.

• "Tonight, Scott Walker made it crystal clear to the people of Wisconsin -- and the entire nation -- the extent he will go to in order to pay back billionaires such as the Koch Brothers and bad actor corporations that want to destroy the middle class," said SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry. "This legislative gimmick proves Walker's attack on the middle class was never about balancing the budget; it was always about stripping workers of a voice and rewarding the cronies who helped finance his campaign."

W. Va. Senator Committee Advances Supreme Court Election Bill
The West Virginia state Senate Judiciary Committee has voted to advance legislation that would increase public financing for state Supreme Court elections.
 
Rove: Political Campaigns Go Viral
Karl Rove has apparently just discovered the internet and realized that political campaigns depend on the web now, more than ever.

• “Then there's fund raising. A powerful, and some might say strident, message can quickly generate lots of cash. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann raised an astounding $13.2 million for her last race, much of it through Internet appeals.”

Transparency Camp 2011
The Sunlight Foundation is holding their fourth Transparency Camp in Washington, D.C. On April 30 – May 1st.

Arizona Clean Election Pamphlets
Senate Bill 1409 in the Arizona state Senate would amend state policy to require the Arizona Citizens Clean Election Commission information pamphlets to only be mailed in an English version.