Wednesday, February 3, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 5
Student Senate will consider 2 bills for candidates' rights
By Nadia Mustafa
Kansan staff writer
Student Senate will consider two bills affecting candidates' rights at its meeting tonight.
The first bill would add a provision to senate rules and regulations that would allow candidates to have their coalition titles next to their names on the ballot.
The student rights committee passed the bill last week in response to the elections commission's omission of the specific right in its initial 1999 elections code.
But at an elections code hearing Monday night, the elections commission revised its initial code to include candidates' rights to be represented by their coalitions.
"After a lot of healthy discussion, we decided it would be more beneficial to students to have their coalition names on the ballot," said Jennifer Watkins, elections commissioner.
Watkins said the commission originally omitted the clause so that it would be easier for independent candidates to be elected. But she said that after debate, the com-
Senate does not need to consult the commission to pass the bill.
Aravind Muthukrishnan, Nune-
maker senator, said if Senate did so, it unfairly would be overriding the commission. However, he said it was good that the commission revised its do
sion revised its decision.
"If they did it because of political pressure, then that's wrong," he said. "But if they realized it wasn't a good thing, then it's fine."
The second bill that Senate will consider would create a review process that would allow candidates to appeal elections commission decisions such as fines for illegal campaign posters.
Watkins said the elections commission supported the bill
In addition, the commission increased the filing fee required when students want to run for Senate seats. Students either can pay a
fee or gather signatures to be included on the ballot.
The commission increased the fee from $10 to $20, but it decreased the number of signatures required from 50 to 35.
The commission also received complaints about the constitutionality of campaign spending limits, which were implemented last year, but it did not remove them from the elections code.
"We are an educational institution," Watkins said. "We felt it was okay to impose spending limits."
Senate will review bills to create an alternative media subcommittee and a joint campus safety board between the University administration and Senate.
Senate also will consider a resolution requesting the president of Emporia State University to include sexual orientation in ESU's non-discrimination policy.
The Senate executive staff will meet at 5 p.m. at the Governors Room in the Kansas Union. The full Senate will meet for the first time this semester at 6:30 tonight at Parlors A, B and C in the Union.
Campaign contributions questioned
Kansans For Life challenged the law after they were required to disclose contribution information for a radio commercial that aired during the 1998 Republican primary.
Campaign finance reform is being reviewed partly because of a pending lawsuit against the state.
Under present laws, Levy sait groups that advocate an issue are not required to reveal their contributors, although political issues and candidates often are intertwined in the advocacy.
The anti-abortion group took the position that the disclosure of the contributors was unconstitutional because the commercial was not advocating a candidate according to Kansas law, Levy said.
Levy said any objective observer would interpret the commercial as
advocating David Miller, who challenged Bill Graves for the Republican nomination.
Two proposed bills could remedy this problem.
To disclose or not to disclose. That is the question before Kansas legislators as they debate proposed campaign finance reform bills.
Although Levy did not necessarily support either bill, he advised legislators to change the law. Levy said the language in the bills was better than the current law, which he said was too vague.
State Sen. Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, and State Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Topeka, introduced separate proposals that would clarify and provide an enforceable definition of advocacy. Each proposal was scheduled for hearing.
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Tax questions?
Richard Levy, professor of law at the University of Kansas, advised a joint House and Senate committee Jan. 25 to clarify existing campaign contribution disclosure laws.
State Sen. Sandy Praeger, R-Lawrence, said vaguely in campaign finance laws created problems and allowed people to find loopholes.
Legal Services for Students
"The problem is how to tell the difference and draw the line between advocating an issue or a candidate," Levy said.
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