January 8, 2015 5:51 PM

House State Affairs recommends bringing dark money into the sunlight

Chairman Cook: “If we don’t address this, more and more people are going to move over to these 501(c)(4)’s and there will be less and less transparency.”

A Republican-led panel of Texas House lawmakers on Thursday recommended that The Legislature move forward with new laws requiring greater transparency when it comes to political cash. Specifically, they're looking to crack down on what's known as "dark money" – political donations funneled through certain nonprofits in such a way that donors are shielded from disclosure.

Among other things, the House State Affairs Committee chaired by Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, recommended lawmakers pass a bill requiring "all entities spending substantial funds to influence elections" to have the same reporting standards that political action committees must already follow. PACs are, of course, required to disclose their donors.

“If we don’t address this, more and more people are going to move over to these 501(c)(4)’s and there will be less and less transparency,” Cook told Quorum Report. Cook pointed to the fact that the Republican Party of Texas platform already calls for disclosure in elections and says "The public deserves to know where candidates get their campaign funds, and what may be motivating those donations."

By Scott Braddock