GAB Destruction & Campaign Finance Deform Bills Could Get Votes in State Senate Tuesday!

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For Release: Monday - November 2, 2015

Koch Brothers Running Ads Against Reluctant GOP State Senators
While Fitzgerald Twists Arms

Wisconsin Citizens and State Newspapers Overwhelmingly
Oppose SB 294 & SB 292

As of early this Monday morning, State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) hasn't informed Wisconsin citizens of his plans yet, but he could schedule a vote on the GAB Destruction (Senate Bill 294) and Campaign Finance Deform (Senate Bill 292) measures today, for a vote tomorrow.

That means we may have our last opportunity to weigh in against these awful, self-serving measures that undermine democracy and attempt to consolidate one-party control over Wisconsin for years to come.

A number of Republican State Senators have expressed concerns about the GAB destruction legislation, the campaign finance deform measure or both and Fitzgerald has been arm twisting them while powerful, out-of-state special interest groups like the Koch Brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity and Club for Growth have been running ads and making phone calls into the districts of the hesitant GOP Senators – trying to gin up support that is certainly not coming from any Wisconsin citizens in their districts or elsewhere in the state.

Not a single Wisconsin daily (or weekly) newspaper has endorsed SB 294 or SB 292 and more are weighing in heavily against them with each passing day. Just this weekend the Wisconsin State Journal and the Green Bay Press-Gazette denounced the GAB destruction measure (SB 294) and in the Sunday Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, national campaign finance law experts from the Brennan Center of Justice and the NYU School of Law said that the campaign finance deform measure (SB 292) would make Wisconsin one of the worst states in the nation in terms of electioneering disclosure and transparency.

For a longer, audio explanation of these measures and why they are so detrimental to Wisconsin, you can listen to an interview with Jay Heck here.

It is critical that you take action today – and call on your friends and neighbors and family to do so as well – to stop this frontal assault on democracy. Remember, these measures already passed in the State Assembly two weeks ago so, if they are to be stopped – it is up to us to do so in the State Senate now!

As we have said, six Republican State Senators have expressed some reservations about the GAB destruction (Senate Bill 294) and/or the campaign finance "deform" (Senate Bill 292). We only need to turn three GOP votes against these measures to stop them. And, as we have also said, Republican leaders in the State Senate have been meeting in secret to try to strong arm the six GOP holdouts into voting for this horrendous legislation.

And again, the votes could occur as soon as tomorrow – Tuesday, November 3rd.

And, while the Koch Brothers and Wisconsin Club for Growth are running ads and making calls into the districts of the six hesitant GOP Senators to convince them to vote for SB 294 and SB 292, we have YOU to counter their out-of-state money and power.

Contact your own State Senator – and then contact the six reluctant GOP State Senators below. If you are one of their constituents, be sure to let them know! Urge them to vote against both SB 294 and SB 292:

State Senator Rob Cowles (Senate District 2)
(608) 266-0484
Sen.Cowles@legis.wisconsin.gov

State Senator Luther Olsen (Senate District 14)
(608) 266-0751
Sen.Olsen@legis.wisconsin.gov

State Senator Sheila Harsdorf (Senate District 10)
(608) 266-7745
Sen.Harsdorf@legis.wisconsin.gov

State Senator Howard Marklein (Senate District 17)
(608) 266-0703
Sen.Marklein@legis.wi.gov

State Senator Jerry Petrowski (Senate District 29)
(608) 266-2502
Sen.Petrowski@legis.wisconsin.gov

State Senator Terry Moulton (State Senate District 23)
608 266-7511
Sen.Moulton@legis.wisconsin.gov

Don't delay. Act today. Let's stop this. For us. For our kids. For Wisconsin!

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CONTACT:

Jay Heck
608/256-2686 (office)
608/512-9363 (cell)



Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI  53703
608/256-2686

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