Rayfield Pushes Economic Development and Campaign Transparency
CORVALLIS—Dan Rayfield, Democratic Representative for Corvallis and Philomath, will spearhead three bills this upcoming legislative session aimed to level the playing field in the arena of campaign finance, crackdown against corporate abuse of public resources, and promote economic development.
In the area of campaign finance, Rayfield has introduced a bill that will increase monitoring and penalties for independent expenditures – also known as “dark money” – in order to increase transparency and hold violators of campaign finance law accountable. Rayfield’s bill brings a fresh approach to regulating this murky area of law, and tactfully navigates around U.S. Supreme Court precedence banning caps on dark money contributions.
“The goal is simple,” Rayfield said, “we want to discourage the use of independent expenditures and replace the complaint driven system with a proactive approach to catch violations of campaign finance law.”
Rayfield’s second bill will extend unemployment benefits for workers affected by a lockout. This bill will have an immediate impact for the 180 workers and their families that have been locked out of the ATI plant in Albany, Oregon. “These are folks that want to work but can’t,” Rayfield said, “their benefits are running out and they are in a difficult position because employers won’t hire someone that will eventually leave once the lockout is over.” The bill will also act as a deterrent for corporations that abuse public resources by intentionally waiting out unemployment benefits to gain a tactical negotiating advantage over their workers.
Rayfield is also working alongside Representative Andy Olson (R-Albany) in a bipartisan effort to expand innovation and economic development in Oregon by extending the University Venture Development Fund (UVDF). The UVDF will provide the needed funding for the innovative ideas coming out of our universities. The funding will allow these ideas to get off the ground and develop into start-up businesses across the state.
The 2016 legislative session will open on February 1st.