PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A state Senate panel has rejected new campaign finance rules that would have forced nonprofit advocacy groups to reveal top donors if the groups contributed significant sums to ballot measure campaigns.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 5-2 Wednesday to kill the proposal.
It would have required the disclosure of the 50 largest contributors to such groups, including labor organizations, business leagues and social welfare organizations, that gave $25,000 or more in a year to a South Dakota ballot measure committee.
Critics have argued that South Dakota residents have the right to support causes they believe in without fear of harassment.
House Speaker Mark Mickelson, the legislation’s main sponsor, has said that the identity of the messenger matters as much as the message.
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