House panel OKs restoring $100 threshold for campaign reporting

RALEIGH (AP) — A House committee is split on the issue of identifying people who donate 100 dollars or less to political campaigns.

The measure says those people would no longer have to be revealed to state election officials.

The House Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform Committee voted seven-to-five in favor of the donation reporting bill. It reverses a change in campaign finance law made last year, when the reporting threshold was dropped to donations of more than 50 dollars.

Some committee members say they were reluctant to make campaigns less accountable for their funding sources, especially a day after state elections officials recommended that prosecutors pursue criminal charges against Representative Thomas Wright.

The committee also approved a bill ordering the State Board of Elections to keep secret any advisory opinions it issues to candidates. Both measures must be heard by another House committee before reaching the full chamber.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)