U.S. Rep. Walter Jones wants to know who's behind so-called leadership PACs.

The political action committees are often affiliated with a federal lawmaker, but they're not required to reveal the connection to the Federal Election Commission.

The Farmville Republican has proposed a bill to require them to disclose their connections, but similar efforts have failed in the past.

So the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group in Washington, D.C., dedicated to campaign finance research, has resolved to figure out who's behind them anyway.

It is asking members of the public to track down references to each of the 32 "Mystery PACs" and call the politician they think is behind it for confirmation.

Hat Tip: Sue Sturgis

Political action committees associated with four major tobacco companies gave about $28,000 since 2000 to 11 of the 17 Democrats who voted against the smoking ban.

As Dome noted earlier, they were the crossovers who went against party line, helping defeat the bill.

Lorillard, R.J. Reynolds, Standard Commercial Tobacco, Philip Morris and its parent company Altria gave mostly small donations of $250, $500 or $1,000 through their PACs, typical of their contributions to other legislators.

The biggest recipient was Rep. Nelson Cole of Reidsville, who got $8,750 between 2000 and 2006. Rep. James Crawford of Oxford received $5,500 during that same time period.

Both represent tobacco-growing areas in North Carolina.

Reps. R. Van Braxton, Walter Church, Mary McAllister, Timothy Spear and Edith Warren were not listed on campaign finance reports filed by the tobacco companies' PACs.

Among the Republicans who voted for the bill, Rep. Julia Howard received $4,200 and Rep. Jeff Barnhart received $2,250.