The Tennessee CapitolNASHVILLE – An effort by House Republican leaders to put state lawmakers, candidates and party caucuses effectively on an honor system for reporting direct corporate campaign contributions melted down on the floor Wednesday amid charges it would invite corruption.
The bill failed on a 48-41 vote. It needed 50 votes to pass.
Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chattanooga, questioned the ethics of exempting corporations from having to disclose directly their contributions and relying solely on lawmakers to report the money on their own state disclosures.
The current system, which requires both to disclose, is a vital accounting cross-check, Favors and other critics said. The bill would have retained reporting requirements by lawmakers, other legislative candidates and party caucus committees.
“We don’t want to go through a situation like we’ve been through in the past,” Favors said, alluding to the 2005 Tennessee Waltz sting in which four sitting lawmakers were arrested and later convicted for taking bribes.