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Rep.Jayapal introduces campaign finance reform legislation
The bill aims to ensure that political campaigns accurately represent their small dollar support and that these donations are not solicited fraudulently or under false pretenses.
Indian American Representative Pramila Jayapal, along with Representatives Becca Balint and Paul Tonko, introduced a bill to ensure that political campaigns accurately represent their small dollar support.
The Small Dollar Donor Protection Act (SDDPA) mandates that these donations are not solicited fraudulently or under false pretenses. It establishes a reporting mechanism to ensure transparency and honesty regarding campaigns' grassroots support.
This comes amid increasing prevalence of online small dollar donations in campaigns. In the first quarter of 2024 alone, over 1.2 million individuals made 5 million donations to House and Senate campaigns, with about two-thirds of those contributions being less than $20.
“Political campaigns love to tout small-dollar donations – and that’s a good thing. We should be encouraging candidates to focus on grassroots support from their constituents, rather than catering to wealthy individuals and corporations to bankroll their campaigns. But right now, many campaigns use deceptive strategies to solicit small dollar donations,” Rep. Jayapal said.
“That’s why I’m proud to support the Small Dollar Donor Protection Act to protect these donors from fraud and give the FEC more authority and oversight over how campaigns report their small-dollar donations,” she added.
The legislation would require campaigns to report the number of contributions received that were less than $200. It instructs the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to issue guidance within 90 days of enactment, detailing the form of disclosure with an emphasis on easy public access.
Additionally, it authorizes the FEC to study how campaigns conduct small dollar donor outreach and investigate any deceptive or fraudulent tactics used. The bill is endorsed by Public Citizen, Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), and NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.
“Grassroots fundraising is good for our political process and for democracy. When campaigns use misleading tactics to solicit money, that’s not only bad for our elections, but it’s also conning average people into spending their hard-earned money. It’s time to crack down on these practices,” Jayapal asserted.
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