‘DARK MONEY’ REFORMS MOVE CENTER STAGE IN NEW JERSEY

PRINCETON, NJ – Last week’s 12-0 vote by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee signaled a breakthrough on campaign finance reform.  All Republicans and Democrats on the committee unanimously said “yes” to New Jersey’s “Dark Money” bill (S-1500).  This means that all “independent expenditure committees,” that operate secretly to fund campaigns, issue advocacy, and electioneering communications in New Jersey would have to reveal their donors.  Voters would now know who is behind these “dark money” campaigns.

Bipartisan approval sends the bill to the full Senate for a final vote on January 31, 2019.  Passage would move the action to the New Jersey Assembly in February and, then, to Governor Murphy’s desk.

All sides are optimistic.  New Jersey has long been a breeding ground for political corruption, and most of it perfectly legal.  But, this could change thanks to a grassroots alliance led by New Jersey’s chapter of RepresentUs.  Instead of being the butt of late-night comedy shows, New Jersey may soon become a model for other states across the country.

“We’ve worked tirelessly for nearly 3 years to build public support to attack ‘dark money’,” said David Goodman, a spokesperson for Represent New Jersey.  “That’s meant calling on towns across the State to pass non-binding resolutions; aligning with friendly legislators on both sides of the aisle; and supporting New Jersey’s election watchdog, ELEC, to move the bill forward.”

Next, Represent New Jersey will turn the spotlight on its anti-corruption efforts with the DARK MONEY special event in Princeton on February 10, 2019: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ dark-money-a-political- thriller-tickets-54146666136. Members of the public are invited to join the event and learn more about the issue of campaign finance reform in New Jersey.

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RepresentUs is the nation’s largest grassroots anti-corruption campaign, bringing together conservatives, progressives and everyone in between to pass anti-corruption laws in cities and states around the country.