New law ends secrecy on campaign donors

[Freddie Stubbs]

Political committees operated by legislators or special-interest groups are required under a new Florida law to disclose their contributors.

BY GARY FINEOUT

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TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush signed into law Wednesday one of the most significant changes in Florida's campaign finance laws in more than a decade.

Political committees, including those run by state lawmakers or special-interest groups, will no longer be able to shield the names of their contributors from state election officials and the public.

The legislation takes effect in July, meaning that in this election year, voters should be able to find out who is behind last-minute attack ads that have been used increasingly in the past few years in legislative and statewide races.

Florida's law came two years after Congress enacted sweeping campaign finance changes for federal elections, including eliminating the flow of large donations from special-interest groups to political parties. The bill signed Wednesday affects local and state campaigns only.

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