ATLANTA — Millions of dollars of out-of-state campaign money flowing into Georgia could soon be more strongly policed in the wake of mysterious political TV ads and big spending on recent elections.
A bipartisan state Senate voted 50-1 to pass a bill Thursday that allows the Georgia Ethics Commission to seek subpoenas against groups or individuals located in other states who are suspected of breaking Georgia campaign finance laws, such as contribution limits or transparency requirements.
“We will now have the tools to hold people outside our state accountable,” said state Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough, before the vote in the state Senate. “This bill is just making certain that those from outside our state that are coming in and pouring money into elections play by the same rules.”
The bill received a vote following a barrage of TV ads and billboards by a shadowy Delaware-based group called Georgians for Integrity, which has launched attacks on Republican gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Burt Jones without disclosing its backers or registering in Georgia.
Democratic candidates have often received more outside money than Republicans in recent high-profile elections.
For example, during the 2022 race for governor, about 78% of Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams’ donations came from outside Georgia, according to a Capitol Beat review of campaign contribution records that included an address through October 2022. By comparison, just 15% of Republican Brian Kemp’s campaign money came from elsewhere.
State Sen. Randal Mangham, D-Stone Mountain, said he worried the Ethics Commission could weaponize its investigatory powers for political purposes.
“I am a little concerned that this not be used as a political pawn to publicize if you’re investigating someone because you don’t like their political views,” said Mangham, who voted in favor of the bill.
Ethics Commission Executive Director David Emadi told a Senate committee earlier this week that groups and individuals who are influencing Georgia elections should be required to comply with state campaign finance laws.
“We’d like to be able to take immediate action if we see these outside actors, outside the state, sending money in unregulated, unreported, attack ads,” Emadi said.
Under House Bill 414, the Ethics Commission would have the authority to ask a Georgia superior court judge to issue a subpoena for documentation or information from outside of the state. Failure to respond to the subpoena within 30 days would result in a default judgment against the out-of-state individual or group.
The bill passed the state House last year, but the state Senate made minor changes to it. The bill now returns to the House for a final vote.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat, an initiative of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.