Bruce Rauner
Our inadequate campaign disclosure laws do not required big donors to reveal how much they have given Political Action Committees on a timely basis.
And they only have to report if they are a PAC.
It’s now the end of the session.
Wouldn’t you like to know who has given big money to which state representatives and senators?
You won’t be able to find out until after July 1st if the money comes from a PAC like Governor Bruce Rauner’s.
That’s when his PAC has to report donations.
So, to find out who got how much of the $400,000 the Governor’s political fund is reported to have distributed to all Republican legislators, one must check each legislator’s reported receipts.
Yesterday I reported that State Rep. Mike Tryon had gotten a check for $8,000 from Rauner’s PAC.
That’s probably the largest campaign contribution Tryon has ever received.
He reported that fact to the Illinois State Board of Elections on a form called an “A-1.”
I checked campaign disclosures from the other Republicans representing part of McHenry County:
- State Senator Pam Althoff
- State Senator Dan Duffy
- State Rep. Steve Andersson
- State Rep. David McSweeney
- State Rep. Barbara Wheeler
The campaign disclosure loophole begs for the Saturday Night Live’s Church Lady’s saying, “Isn’t that special?”
and found nothing reported.
So, I emailed them all, telling them that Tryon had gotten $8,000 and asking how much they had gotten.
[Just found that Andersson reported receiving $8,000 last Friday.]
When I asked the State Board of Elections when such contributions had to be reported, I was told that it was five days after a $1,000 or bigger check was deposited.
That means contributions like Rauner’s can be hidden from the public until after the legislature adjourns.
No time to make it to the bank, don’t you know?
So, let’s give an A+ for transparency to State Rep. Mike Tryon for sharing the amount of his contribution in a quite timely fashion.
My state rep., Barb Wheeler, emailed me that she has received $4,000.
Tryon probably got more because he is a member of the House Republican Leadership.
And hope that the other legislators from McHenry County won’t make use of this gaping loophole in the State Campaign Finance Disclosure law.