As I mentioned yesterday, Congressional Democrats introduced a trio of public financing bills yesterday. Public Campaign's Nick Nyhart: "After an election that saw record-setting campaign spending and big money donations, we welcome these efforts toward making our government truly of, by, and for the people. We look forward to working with the Congressmen to develop the best possible solutions to our broken political system.”

Huffington Post, The Hill, Mother Jones, Politico Influence, River City News (KY) Common Cause statement.

Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) on what's next: "Today, members of the Task Force on Election reform introduced three thoughtful pieces of legislation intended to turn our electoral process back over to the American people. Now, through the framework of our Task Force on Election Reform, those members will work together to take the best parts of each proposal, and mold them into one bill that will help rid our campaigns of big money influence once and for all."

And in that New York Senate race we've all been watching, which turned into a race about money-in-politics, we might soon get a resolution. The final 99 votes could be counted on Friday.

Campaign Finance/Fair Elections
AP: Cuomo's big donors boost his campaign fund to $22M
Working Families' Party's Dan Cantor about Cuomo's big fundraising: "The governor has put public financing of elections on the list of essential reforms, and this is his chance to show progressives across the country that he means to get it done." And in the Times, the Citizens Union says, "No better case can be made for campaign finance reform that includes public funding than the results these candidates are posting."

Capitol Tonight: Broad support for Cuomo's agenda
And a new Sienna poll finds that 59% of New Yorkers support Cuomo's plan for Fair Elections, up from 55% in August.

Roll Call: House leaders make appointments to keep independent ethics board running
The OCE will fight another day: "House leaders on Wednesday made eight appointments to the board of the Office of Congressional Ethics, enabling the independent fact-finding agency to continue its work in the 113th Congress." Washington Times, NaJo.

Des Moines Register: Democratic Senators call for Iowa campaign finance reform
"Two Democratic state senators and a coalition of good government groups renewed calls for campaign finance reform in a press conference Wednesday at the Iowa Capitol." Telegraph Herald.

TPM: Filibuster reformers open to Reid's more modest proposals
"Reformers are closing ranks behind a more modest proposal by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) that they believe could pass with a 51-vote threshold when the Senate returns next week and chip away at the minority party’s power to obstruct."

HuffPost: Campaign to overturn Citizens United: LA set to become the largest electorate to weigh in
"The LA City Council voted Wednesday to draft ballot language for voters to weigh in on whether they believe there should be limits on campaign spending and whether corporations should have the same rights as people."

Congress/Administration
HuffPost: Obama's inauguration fundraising appears to miss usual suspects
On inaugural fundraising: "What's really interesting is not who is listed; it's who is missing. Conspicuously scarce on the list are the holy trinity of political fundraising: ultra-wealthy, top-dollar donors; reliable, midlevel campaign contributors; and corporations." USA Today.

OpenSecrets: Millionaire freshmen make Congress even wealthier
"In fact, according to a new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, the median estimated net worth of the incoming freshmen is almost exactly $1 million more than that of the typical American household."

Roll Call: Activists mobilize to enact parts of Obama gun plan
"Just hours after Obama called on lawmakers to pass a series of measures, an alliance of liberal groups, unions and gun control activists gathered at the Washington headquarters of the National Education Association to develop a path to 218 votes in the Republican-controlled House."

Roll Call: Business Roundtable weighs in on entitlements
The Business Roundtable, a group of wealthy corporate CEOs, thinks we need to cut Medicare and Social Security and they'll be lobbying Congress to try to make it happen.

Sunlight: Who are the gun lobbyists?
Nanzy Watzman looks at who's repping the NRA in Washington--in 2012, they had 42 lobbyists representing them.

Politico: Gabrielle Gifforts to lobby personally on guns
"Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.), an ex-Gabrielle Giffords staffer who was shot in the same attack that wounded the former lawmaker, said Wednesday that she would personally be lobbying House members on gun control issues."

WaPo: NRA lobbying bags big legislative wins in states over the past two decades
"In state capitals and city halls nationwide, the National Rifle Association is demonstrating its enduring ability to thwart new firearms regulations and expand rights for gun owners — even after a school massacre in Newtown, Conn., gave the gun-control cause new momentum."

HuffPost: Michele Bachmann campaign violations alleged by ex-staffer
"A former adviser to Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) 2012 presidential campaign has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that the congresswoman violated campaign finance laws by paying some campaign staffers with money from her political action committee (PAC)."

Other/States
AP: Groups to rally in Maryland to urge for campaign finance reforms
Today in Annapolis: "Groups are planning a rally against the Citizens United Supreme Court case in a call for campaign finance reforms."

Baltimore Sun: Gansler reports $5.2 million in the bank
"Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, who is eyeing a run for governor, has $5.2 million in his campaign account, a formidable sum more than a year out from the 2014 primary election."

AP: Ex-Conn lawmaker in court for campaign fraud cases
The importance of enforcement mechanisms in public financing systems: "Former Bridgeport state Sen. Ernest Newton II is facing a court arraignment on charges he fraudulently obtained thousands of dollars in public funds to finance a failed comeback campaign for his old seat last year."