During the last legislative session, the Voter-Owned Iowa Clean Elections bill saw a little life when it passed out of the State Government Committee, only to die in a House Appropriation’s subcommittee. The Democratic leadership, however, said the Clean Elections bill is not dead. Though the bill was not assigned to an interim study committee this week, VOICE lobbyists had been assured by Democratic leadership that the bill is moving forward and will be on the docket next legislative session.

What this means to public campaign finance proponents lobbying for VOICE is unclear. “I’M for Iowa’s” Lynne Heuss is perplexed as to why a campaign finance reform committee needs to be appointed: “The bill drafted by Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, is one of the strongest in the country. The VOICE bill is airtight.”Senate Republican Leader Mary Lundby, R-Marion, was more vocal and called for some signs of movement from Democrat leadership. “The cost of campaigns has been on the forefront for a long time and now we’re just simply ignoring it,” Lundby said. “…We stand up on the (Senate) floor and we bitch about it and we say how bad it is and then we’re not committed to doing anything about it.”

Lundby said Democrats who control the Legislature’s debate agenda — and the number of “interim study committees” that will meet this summer and fall — had assured her that campaign reform would be one of the topics addressed.

Public campaign finance may have been sidestepped during the interim session, but a number of progressive activists are in the process of building a grassroots’ movement to ensure that VOICE isn’t ignored next January, when the next legislative session starts in Iowa.