Washington, D.C.— National campaign finance watchdog Public Campaign blasted Gov. Dannel Malloy’s (D) today in response to his veto of HB 5556, a law that would have greatly enhanced disclosure of big money in Connecticut elections:

“Gov. Malloy’s veto of HB 5556 sends the wrong message to the people of Connecticut, who like the rest of the country, are fed up with expanding the role of big money in our democracy,” said Public Campaign president & CEO Nick Nyhart, a Connecticut resident. “Malloy had a chance to be a national leader on reform, but opted to side with wealthy special interests and secret money.”

The House and Senate passed HB 5556 at the end of the session, legislation that would have strengthened the states’ disclosure law by forcing the secret front groups who try to hide who they are behind innocuous sounding names like “Citizens for Reform” to disclose their donors so citizens can see who is funding political attack ads. 

 “Just yesterday it was reported that insurance giant Aetna secretly funneled money to the American Action Network and U.S. Chamber of Commerce,” said Nyhart. “The same thing could happen in Connecticut in complete secrecy. This spending only became public by accident.”

“Connecticut voters deserve to know the sources of funding for election advertising so they can make informed decisions, and also need to be certain that their voices remain heard through a strong and viable Citizens’ Election Program,” said Nyhart. “Gov. Malloy made the wrong decision today and we hope the House and Senate will continue the fight for transparency and against secret political money in a special session.”

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Public Campaign is a national nonpartisan organization that fights to raise the voices of everyday people in our democracy through changing our campaign finance laws and through holding elected.