SuperPAC Transparency Bill Hearing in House Today, 2 p.m.

Today at 2 pm. in Capitol Room 325, the state House Committee on the Judiciary (JUD) will be hearing testimony on important campaign finance bills.

HB 2376 - TRANSPARENCY FOR INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES - This bill will change campaign reporting requirements by:

• Requiring more "persons" to report their campaign spending

• Improving the reporting by noncandidate committees (PACs and SuperPACs)

• Adding late expenditure reports to shine light on money spent just before an election

• Improving the disclosures at the end of campaign advertisements

Please support Media Council Hawaii with a testimony to help PASS this bill. The unlimited corporate spending in campaigns, from independent expenditures and Super PACs is a big issue in this year's elections. In a post last week, we highlighted how SuperPAC funding will affect broadcast media.

Also on the Agenda:

• HB 2700 - Improvements for Publicly Funded Elections - replace the equalizing funds for A pilot program for publicly-funded "clean elections" was successfully launched in Hawaii County Council in 2010.

• HB 2174 is a less comprehensive bill than HB 2376 but concerns similar issues as well.

• HB 2457 - Gifts to legislators & state employees - This bill allows legislators and state employees to accept charitable event tickets from 501c3 nonprofits, creating new loopholes to our gifts and ethics laws.

Be heard! Submit your testimony online or by email.