Senate Rules Committee Passes SB76 On Strict Party Line Vote

SB76 is a Senate Bill that would greatly increase the fees associated with filing for candidacy for office. The fee increases range from double to triple (an original version of the bill incorrectly listed the current filing fees, thus leading the misconception that some fees were tripled) the current fees. It what can only be seen as Republican support for fewer people running for office, the Senate Rules Committee passed the bill (PDF) on a strict party line vote. The 14 Republican members of the committee voted to pass the bill while the 5 Democratic members voted against it. This bill now goes on to the Senate floor for a vote.

Please contact your Senator and ask them to vote against this bill. This bill will severely reduce the number of people running for office. With roughly 50% of House and Senate seats going unopposed each election, that is not something that we need. If you are looking for an example of a letter you could send, please see the letter I wrote to Senator Fields.