Today, the Michigan House Election Integrity Committee unanimously voted to advance House Bill 5197. HB 5197, introduced by Rep. Rachelle Smit, would ban foreign money in Michigan’s ballot issue campaigns.
After the House committee advanced the legislation, APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland release the following statement praising the vote:
“There is a foreign influence loophole that currently allows foreign nationals to pour tens of millions of dollars into state ballot issue campaigns, and Michigan lawmakers are showing that they are taking this threat seriously. In fact, Michigan is the number one recipient of money from Sixteen Thirty Fund, an innocuous-sounding organization backed by foreign billionaire Hansjörg Wyss. Michigan lawmakers should continue advancing House Bill 5197 without delay so it can receive a full floor vote and close this loophole once and for all.”
