Ethics

Lawmakers who establish legal defense funds may now have to report donations to those accounts. A bill, House Bill 1737, approved by the House would also require reporting of expenses each quarter and make the reporting requirements similar to those for campaign accounts. That means that donations would be capped at $4,000 and corporations and unions, among others, would be barred from contributing. The chamber rejected a separate bill, House Bill 1662, that would have lowered the threshold for reporting donations from $100 to $50. Existing law, approved last year, requires political candidates to report the name, address. and profession of anyone who donates $50 or more to a campaign.