Tommy to Introduce Package of Reforms on Official Vehicles and Campaign Finance
June 20, 2011
Councilmember Tommy Wells to Introduce Package of Reforms
Set to Deliver Several Legislative Reforms on Official Vehicles and Campaign Finance
On Tuesday, June 21, 2011, Councilmember Tommy Wells will introduce a package of reforms developed over the last several months to address many concerns both with government vehicle fleet use and procurement, as well as needed components of campaign finance reform.
"I've worked on these measures for the last several months to address several ongoing concerns," commented Wells. He continued, "The proposals to fleet management are a direct follow-up to the committee's recommendations from our earlier report - including everything from improving fuel efficiency standards, to creating clear lines of decision making, to limiting the size of the government fleet, to prohibiting luxury-class vehicles." Wells added, "The campaign finance reforms are the outgrowth from several concerns that I believe need to be addressed to improve accountability and transparency with government dealings."
The "Government Vehicles and Fleet Management Rationalization Amendment Act of 2011" will do the following. Click here for a copy of the bill: Wells, DC Official Fleet Reforms.pdf.
- Prohibits the District from procuring luxury-class vehicles and establishes clear parameters and restrictions on the types of vehicles the District may lease and purchase.
- Freezes the District's vehicle fleet at today's size and launches a process to right-size the number of vehicles to best meet the need of District agencies.
- Revises miles-per-gallon requirements to follow the more stringent federal CAFE fuel efficiency standards that keep pace with innovation, which sets a clear challenge for government fuel efficiency to meet.
- Moves the District forward in prioritizing FleetShare, which allows agencies to share vehicle resources in a more thoughtful way to both meet their needs and limit the number of city vehicles maintained.
- Clears confusion of fleet administration by designating the Department of Public Works as the sole authority for fleet management.
The "Campaign Finance Accountability and Reform Amendment Act of 2011" will do the following. Click here for a copy of the bill: Wells, Campaign Finance Reform, 2011.pdf.
- To address concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability for an elected official's transition and inauguration efforts, a new "transition and inaugural committee" would be created within law that establishes reporting requirements to the Office of Campaign Finance for contributions and expenditures related to transitions and inaugurations.
- To address concerns of corporations using multiple subsidiary LLC's to bundle campaign donations (purportedly making multiple campaign contributions from the same donor or business interest), the legislation expressly prohibits the bundling of corporate contributions.
- To address transparency concerns and eliminate the ability of an elected official to create a non-profit in the waning days of a term to spend unused constituent services funds for political purposes, or use as salary for staff or themselves, a non-profit receiving such a contribution must be in good standing with the District for a minimum of 1 year.
The "Campaign Finance Reporting Amendment Act of 2011" will do the following. Click here for a copy of the bill: Wells, Campaign Reporting 2011.pdf.
- When the Council of the District of Columbia approved legislation moving the date of primary elections from the second Tuesday of September to the first Tuesday of April in an election year, no change was made to the schedule for campaign finance reporting requirements. An unintended result of the election date alteration reduces by nearly half the number of financial disclosures a principal campaign committee must file with the Office of Campaign Finance before the primary election. This legislation restores the reporting schedule and ensures financial disclosures are made for principal campaign committees.
- To provide certainty and adequate time for planning and preparation for the Office of Campaign Finance and all candidates seeking election in the April 2012 primary, Councilmember Wells will also move emergency legislation.
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