This story was originally produced by the Concord Monitor. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Bill Ohm, a state representative from Nashua, hopes to increase transparency in the State House by compelling his fellow lawmakers to disclose certain campaign contributions in a more timely manner.
He wants legislators to report contributions of $1,000 or more from any industry to the state’s Legislative Ethics Committee, “promptly” or within 30 days under his proposed bill. Candidates are already required to report all contributions to the Secretary of State’s office, which are publicly available but not always quick to come in. His legislation would create a new reporting requirement directly to the ethics committee.
His motivations stem from an issue that began more than a decade ago and is still prevalent today: New Hampshire’s lottery and gambling industry. Back in the early 2010s, he said, concerns arose about undue influence by the gambling industry if the state were to establish a casino like the ones in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
New Hampshire stuck with its charitable gaming model, which allows smaller-scale betting establishments that must give a portion of the proceeds to non-profits and charities. The state has 12 active casinos, and the industry has grown rapidly in recent years.
“My intention is just that should this industry be established, which looks like it’s coming our way, that we have full disclosure of their contributions to elected officials,” Ohm said.
Ohm said he’s not specifically aware of any lawmakers who’ve received contributions from casinos or online gambling firms but said the change in reporting requirements would be an effort to promote transparency and create a “safety valve” for good government. As for enforcement, he said it would fall to ethics sanctions already on the books.
“Not restricting the amounts, not questioning the motivation, but just requesting prompt disclosure,” Ohm said. Industries are able to donate, “but you’ve got to be prompt about the disclosure if you take the casino or any other industry money that’s of any substantial amount.”
Ohm thinks it’s necessary, in part, because legislating in New Hampshire is basically a volunteer position. Lawmakers are paid $100 per year with gas mileage reimbursements. While it helps in the sense that campaigning doesn’t cost much, Ohm said, it can present conflicts.
“The flip side is that if you did get a lot of money, that could have a potential to cloud your thinking on how to vote, and I just want to make sure everything’s disclosed,” Ohm said. “I think we have honorable legislators, I think we have good ethics, but it’s just a guardrail to make sure that if you take the money, you’ve got to disclose it.”
In a similar vein, the Legislature passed a law last year outlining circumstances where lawmakers must recuse themselves from bills where they have a conflict of interest.
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