A-6
NATION
THE NEW MEXICAN Sunday, May 5, 2013
Failed by feds, states tackle ‘secret’ cash in politics Groups that aren’t required to report spending shelled out $309M in 2012 By Matea Gold, Chris Megerian and Mark Z. Barabak Tribune Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Early last month, state lawyers and election officials around the country dialed into a conference call to talk about how to deal with the flood of secret money that played an unprecedented role in the 2012 election. The discussion, which included officials from California, New York, Alaska and Maine, was a first step toward a collaborative effort to force tax-exempt advocacy organizations and trade associations out of the shadows. The unusual initiative was driven by the lack of progress at the federal level in pushing those groups to disclose their contributors if they engage in campaigns, as candidates and political action committees are required to do. “There is no question that one of the reasons to have states working together is because the federal government, in numerous arenas, has failed to take action,” said Ann Ravel, chair-
woman of California’s Fair Political Practices Commission, who organized the call with officials from about 10 states. The 2012 campaign set a highwater mark for independent groups, which unleashed more than $1 billion into federal races, three times as much as in 2008, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. The bulk of that spending was by super-PACs, which must disclose their donors. But nonprofit advocacy groups and trade organizations, which do not have to reveal their financial backers, accounted for $309 million. Among them were the conservative Crossroads GPS, the liberal Patriot Majority USA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The actual influence of such organizations was far greater, as tax-exempt groups also poured tens of millions of dollars into election-related activity that they were not required to report. Advocates for disclosure say it is essential for the public to know who is trying to influence elections. But opponents say making donors public would infringe on their privacy and could intimidate some from participating in politics. For now, state officials who participated in the conference call are sharing information on their campaign finance regula-
tions and experiences with advocacy groups in their states. But the agencies may move to team up on investigations and work together to pressure federal agencies to do more. The push by state regulators comes as scrutiny of nonprofit groups is gaining new attention at the federal level. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., plans to use his influential post as head of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to press for greater oversight of these groups. And the Securities and Exchange Commission is considering a rule to require publicly traded corporations to reveal their political donations. But disclosure advocates acknowledge they face a steep climb in Washington. “I have no reason to believe this is going to be easy,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who unveiled a bipartisan disclosure bill with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., last month. She is the first GOP senator to sponsor such a measure in recent years; it is not clear whether other Republicans will come aboard. “Unless both sides realize that disclosure is important to all of us, it’s not going to happen,” Murkowski said. Much of the focus is on “social welfare” organizations set up under section 501(c)4 of the tax
Santa Fe County and the Tesuque Valley Planning Committee are hosting open houses to discuss the draft Tesuque Community Plan update which, once adopted, will guide future land development in the community and will provide tools for addressing community needs. Please join us at either open house!
Tesuque Elementary Gym Sun May 11, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. or Mon May 13, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. For more information please visit: www.santafecountynm.org or contact Sarah Ijadi, Santa Fe County, at 505/986-6236
code, which can engage in elections as long as politics is not their primary purpose. Such organizations have proliferated since 2010, when the Supreme Court ruled in the Citizens United case that corporations could spend unlimited sums on elections. The decision also applied to unions and nonprofits. State officials criticize multiple federal entities as failing to respond swiftly to the new environment. The Internal Revenue Service has asked some nonprofits for more information about their activities, but has not indicated whether it has launched any formal investigations. In California, the Fair Political
Practices Commission recently issued a series of subpoenas as part of an investigation to uncover the source of $11 million involved in two ballot measures last fall. The money passed from Americans for Job Security, a Virginia nonprofit, to the Center to Protect Patient Rights in Arizona, to another Arizona nonprofit called Americans for Responsible Leadership, and then to the conservative Small Business Action Committee in California. The committee was working against Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax increase measure and in support of another measure intended to curb the ability of unions to raise money for politi-
Frontiers in Science
cal activity. The source of the money remains unknown. Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have proposed legislation to force such groups to disclose their donors. Advocates on both sides expect the state measures will trigger litigation. In the meantime, the moves are causing anxiety among taxexempt groups and their donors. “There’s deep concern,” said Larry Norton, a campaign finance lawyer in Washington who represents many nonprofits and trade groups. “It probably has a chilling effect on organizations themselves, and I think will likely have an impact on their fundraising.”
A public lecture series sponsored by the Fellows of Los Alamos National Laboratory
Roger Wiens, Leader of the ChemCam Laser Instrument
Exploring Mars with curiosity and its Laser On August 6, 2012, the one-ton Curiosity rover was lowered to the Martian soil by a “sky crane,” settling on its own six wheels. Curiosity sports 10 instruments, an arm that weighs as much as a whole previous generation Mars rover, and a laser that vaporizes bits of rock up to 25 feet away to determine their compositions. The setting for its travels is 90 mile-wide Gale crater and the ultimate destination is a 3-mile high mountain of Martian sedimentary layers. This talk will describe the rover, its journey to Mars, and Curiosity’s new discoveries. Tuesday, May 7 at 7 p.m.
Duane W. Smith Auditorium Los Alamos High School, Los Alamos
Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m.
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science 1801 Mountain Road NW, Albuquerque
Tuesday, May 14 at 7 p.m.
James A. Little Theater New Mexico School for the Deaf 1060 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe
Tesuque Elementary School
Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m.
Taos Convention Center 120 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos
Tesuque Community Planning Area
Admission is Free –Bring a Friend –
For more information, call (505) 665-9196 or (505) 667-7000 or go to http://frontiers.lanl.gov
Gregory Heltman, General Director • Steven Smith, Music Director
May 2013 Public Noticeof Class 2 Permit Modification Request and Public Meeting for Technical Area 54, Building 38 (TA-54-38) West Los Alamos National Laboratory Hazardous Waste Facility Permit, EPA ID No. NM0890010515 Activity:
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS), have submitted a Class 2 permit modification request to modify the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit. The modification supports increases in container storage capacity at the permitted units located at TA-54-38, West Indoor Unit and Outdoor Pad, increases the footprint of the TA-54-38 Indoor Unit, and updates and clarifies text within the Permit.
Facility:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is owned by DOE, and is operated jointly by DOE and LANS. Under authority of the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act (Section 744-1 et seq., NMSA 1978, as amended, 1992) and the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (20.4.1 NMAC), the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) can approve or deny hazardous waste permits and closure plans, permit modifications, and amendments.
Availability: The proposed permit modification is available for public review weekdays between 8 am and 5 pm at NMED - Hazardous Waste Bureau 2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Bldg. 1 Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505-6313 Copies are also available at the LANL Hardcopy Public Reading Room weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm at Northern New Mexico Citizens’ Advisory Board Office 94 Cities of Gold Road in Pojoaque, New Mexico http://www.lanl.gov/communityenvironment/environmental-stewardship/ public-reading-room.php Electronic copies of the permit modification request can also be found in the LANL Electronic Public Reading Room (EPRR) at http://eprr.lanl. gov The LANL Hazardous Waste Facility Permit can be found on the NMED LANL Permit web
Symphony
the
anta fe
...bringing great music to life
Carl Orff’s
CarMIna Burana STEVEn SMITH COnduCTS
page at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/HWB/Permit.htm
Meeting:
A public meeting about the permit modification will be held on May 22, 2013 at Fuller Lodge, 2132 Central Ave, Los Alamos, NM.
Comments: Any person who would like to comment on the proposed Class 2 permit modification may do so by contacting: Dave Cobrain NMED-Hazardous Waste Bureau, 2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Building 1, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505-6313 Telephone (505) 476-6000 or e-mail: dave.cobrain@state.nm.us The Permittee’s compliance history during the life of the permit being modified is available from the NMED contact person. The 60-day public comment period for this permit modification will run from May 6, 2013 through July 5, 2013. Any person who wishes to comment on this action should submit written or e-mail comments with the commenter’s name and address to the address above. Only written comments received on or before July 5, 2013, will be considered. Facility Contact:
If you have questions, please contact Los Alamos National Laboratory. Lorrie Bonds Lopez Environmental Communication & Public Involvement P.O. Box 1663, MS M996 Los Alamos, NM 87545 Phone/email: 505-667-0216 / envoutreach@lanl.gov
Mary Wilson soprano
Sam Shepperson tenor
Jeremy Kelly baritone
featuring
The Symphony Chorus and the Santa Fe Men’s Camarata plus Britten’s “Four Sea Interludes” from Peter Grimes
SaTurday, May 18, 5:00 pM Sunday, May 19, 4:00 pM Pre-concert talk one hour prior to performance $20–$70 • Children 6–14 half price with adult purchase
505-983-1414 www.santafesymphony.org
Concert underwriting by Ann Neuberger Aceves in memory of Roy R. & Marie S. Neuberger. The 2012-2013 season is funded in part by the Santa Fe Arts Commission, and the 1% Lodger’s Tax, New Mexico Arts, a division of the Office of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.