The House voted Wednesday require political appointees to report their fundraising activities.
The bill, which had sponsors from both parties, expands who must report fundraising and also closes a loophole that applied to the reporting required of the Board of Transportation. Members of that board were previously required to list their activities, but some appointees under former Gov. Mike Easley used a legal opinion to hide their fundraising activities.
Board members, including former member Louis Sewell of Jacksonville, had said he did no fundraising even though he was a big fundraiser in Easley's 2000 campaign.
Easley had obtained an attorney general's opinion that said fundraisers did not have to disclose their efforts unless they personally accepted contributions from individuals. That meant that typical fundraising activities such as holding receptions and soliciting people for contributions were not considered fundraising.
More after the jump.
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The bill approved by the House and sent to the Senate would apparently close that loophole becaues it defines "fundraising" as
The receiving and forwarding of a contribution, or the activity that results in an individual receiving, directly or indirectly, written acknowledgement from a contributor or recipient of the contribution, or from the agent of that contributor or recipient, that the individual is responsible for a contribution.
The bill approved by the House would require disclosure by appointees to the Governor's Cabinet, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, Superior and District court judgeships and to several boards and commissions. Those panels are:
* Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.
* Coastal Resources Commission.
* State Board of Community Colleges.
* State Board of Education.
* State Board of Elections.
* Employment Security Commission.
* Environmental Management Commission.
* Industrial Commission.
* State Personnel Commission.
* Rules Review Commission.
* Board of Transportation.
* Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina.
* Utilities Commission.
* Wildlife Resources Commission
