New reports indicate Sharpe James is directing political contributions from his jail cell. Kean and Baroni are preparing legislation that will ban politicians convicted of corruption from using their campaign accounts to influence elections or public policy in New Jersey. 

In Case You Missed It:
Rob Andrews Backed Bill Allowing Riskier Banks,
Received More Than $1.3 Million in Return

Andrews in top 12% of House members
in campaign dollars received from financial institutions

BARRINGTON – U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews supported the 1999 Financial Services Modernization Act, “legislation that allowed the nation's largest banks to get even larger and take risks that had been prohibited since the Great Depression,” according to Massie Ritsch of OpenSecrets.org.

Ritsch also discovered that “those members of Congress who supported lifting Depression-era restrictions on commercial banks, investment banks and insurance companies received more than twice as much money from those interests than did those lawmakers who opposed the measure.”

Rob Andrews, who supported the bill, subsequently received more than $1.3 million in campaign contributions from financial institutions.

Read the full article here: http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/money-and-votes-aligned-in-con.html

QUIGLEY/SCHAER BILL PROHIBITING CAMPAIGN DONATIONS FROM LEGISLATIVE AIDES TO LEGISLATORS ADVANCES

(TRENTON) - Legislation sponsored by Assembly members Joan M. Quigley and Gary S. Schaer that would prohibit a legislative aide from making a campaign contribution to his or her employer was unanimously released today by the Assembly State Government Committee.

KARCHER ETHICS BILLS RECEIVE FINAL LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL IN ASSEMBLY

TRENTON - A package of bills sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would protect public resources from corruption by prohibiting public entities from making campaign contributions, increasing penalties for misuse of public resources and providing a mechanism to reclaim lost funds due to corruption were unanimously approved by the Assembly today, and now go to the Governor to be signed into law.

BILL PROHIBITING DONATION OF LEFTOVER CAMPAIGN FUNDS TO CANDIDATE-RUN CHARITY HEADS TO GOVERNOR

(TRENTON) - Legislation Assemblymen Jack Conners, Dr. Herbert C. Conaway, Jr., and John F. McKeon sponsored to prohibit the distribution of election campaign funds to any charitable organization in which a candidate or an immediate family member is directly involved was unanimously passed by the General Assembly today.

KARCHER-BUONO BILL TO PROHIBIT CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PUBLIC ENTITIES ADVANCES IN ASSEMBLY

TRENTON - A bill sponsored by Senators Ellen Karcher and Barbara Buono which would prohibit any State or local public agencies from making campaign contributions using public dollars was unanimously approved by the Assembly State Government Committee today.