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Assembly Republicans Didn’t File Latest Finance Report

Robin Vos: Law Doesn't Require Disclosure, Democrats Accuse Republicans Of Exploiting Loophole

By
Wisconsin State Capitol
Phil Roeder (CC-BY)

The campaign committee controlled by Wisconsin Assembly Republicans did not file its most recent finance report.

It’s a potentially significant omission because under Wisconsin’s new campaign finance law, there’s no limit to how much donors can give to legislative campaign committees.

The committees have historically filed their reports at the same time as candidates, and for this most recent reporting period, Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats and Assembly Democrats all reported their numbers. But the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee did not file.

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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who is in charge of RACC, said state Assembly Republicans are “following everything that the law requires.”

“My understanding is that you only have to report if you are making transfers and having expenditures for candidates,” Vos said. “And we are not doing that. We are in the fundraising mode.”

Democratic Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca accused Republicans of exploiting the new law they helped write, calling it another step toward eliminating transparent government in Wisconsin.

“I was just shocked to find out that they looked at this loophole and somehow are arguing the fact that the public does not have a right to know how much they’re raising and spending,” Barca said. “Something new in Wisconsin.”

Vos said Democrats were making a “mountain out of a molehill” and that Republicans would file their report once they start spending.