House hearings zero in on campaign contribution limits

By JOHN McPHAUL jpmcphaul@gmail.com

The House Electoral Affairs Committee opened public hearings on Monday to address House Bill 1676, which seeks, among other proposals, to limit the annual amount of donations that a person can make to a political campaign.

The measure was filed by the committee chairman, Rep. José “Conny” Varela Fernández and Dignity Project Minority Leader Lisie Burgos Muñiz at the request of the Office of the Electoral Comptroller (OEC). The legislation proposes an extensive list of amendments to the Law for the Control of Political Campaign Financing (Law 222-2011).

“In the country it has grown drastically, there has been an increase in cases of corruption related to the financing of political campaigns, and this House of Representatives wants to contribute, as it has always done, to avoid these situations,” Varela said.

five to seven years, in order to give the Department of Justice more time to prosecute potential violations.

Along those lines, he also recommended that criminal liability be imposed on those persons who provide false information about donations and expenses to the treasurer or any authorized personnel of the different committees regulated by Law 222 or the OEC.

New Progressive Party Electoral Commissioner Vanessa Santo Domingo said in her presentation that she cannot endorse the bill as drafted because the proposed measures could be contrary to applicable jurisprudence.

Santo Domingo noted that limiting the amount and manner in which a person can make a donation “would yield to a constitutional attack,” according to the determinations discussed by the U.S. Supreme Court.