MONROE - Two local lawmakers and one candidate in 2008 are among those who received campaign funds from donors who gave more than the $10,000 allowed under state law to Wisconsin politicians in 2008.
That's according to a report Thursday by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign that identified 14 donors who exceeded the limit and all of their donations.
State Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, received funds from two of those donors. One, Rick Halverson of Fountain City, gave Davis' re-election campaign $500 after he already had exceeded his $10,000 limit, the report shows.
Davis was running for his third term in the Assembly at the time. His Democratic challenger, John Waelti, also was listed in Thursday's report.
Waelti received a donation from Madison resident Donald Becker, who exceeded the state limit by $600. Becker's donation to Waelti came prior to him exceeding the spending cap, according to the report.
Reid Magney, spokesman for the state Government Accountability Board (GAB), said Thursday that it's not the candidate's fault if a donor exceeds the limit.
"There are no penalties for the recipients of the money," he said. "It's not their job to make sure they haven't given too much to the candidates."
State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, also received $1,000 from Halverson, though it came before he passed the limit.
The Democracy Campaign reports each year on donors who contributed more than the state allows, Magney said, based on figures calculated by the GAB. In other words, the board is aware of these occurrences, Magney said, and, in fact, they happen every year, he said.
In some cases, the donor is cleared of an overspending violation because of accounting errors, Magney said. For example, a person could donate using a joint checking account. When the check is sent to the state it is counted twice because two people are registered to the account.
For donors who spend a lot of money like Halverson, that type of issue can lead to a quick escalation of spending, possibly over the limit, Magney said.
If there isn't a legitimate reason for the violation, the donor faces a forfeiture of one-and-a-half times the amount he or she spent over the limit. For an example, a donor who gave $1,000 over the limit would pay a fine of $1,500.
Davis said Thursday he was aware his campaign received money from Halverson, but he had no way of knowing Halverson would end up overspending.
"I know everybody who donates because I look at every check that comes in," he said.
During a campaign, Davis typically holds fundraising events, some on certain campaign topics, and people will show up and give money; often in the form of a check. He also collects money from friends and family, as well as through campaign mailings.
Once the money is received, Davis and his treasurer work closely to photocopy each check and deposit them. Finally, each check or donation must be registered with the Government Accountability Board.
Davis said he would work fully with any investigation into any campaign donations violations by the Board. Davis also received money from Robert Wolfberg, of Payday Loan Store, in Glencoe, Ill. Wolfberg also is on the list of overspending donors.
"Transparency is the key in campaign finance reports," Davis said.
That's according to a report Thursday by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign that identified 14 donors who exceeded the limit and all of their donations.
State Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, received funds from two of those donors. One, Rick Halverson of Fountain City, gave Davis' re-election campaign $500 after he already had exceeded his $10,000 limit, the report shows.
Davis was running for his third term in the Assembly at the time. His Democratic challenger, John Waelti, also was listed in Thursday's report.
Waelti received a donation from Madison resident Donald Becker, who exceeded the state limit by $600. Becker's donation to Waelti came prior to him exceeding the spending cap, according to the report.
Reid Magney, spokesman for the state Government Accountability Board (GAB), said Thursday that it's not the candidate's fault if a donor exceeds the limit.
"There are no penalties for the recipients of the money," he said. "It's not their job to make sure they haven't given too much to the candidates."
State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, also received $1,000 from Halverson, though it came before he passed the limit.
The Democracy Campaign reports each year on donors who contributed more than the state allows, Magney said, based on figures calculated by the GAB. In other words, the board is aware of these occurrences, Magney said, and, in fact, they happen every year, he said.
In some cases, the donor is cleared of an overspending violation because of accounting errors, Magney said. For example, a person could donate using a joint checking account. When the check is sent to the state it is counted twice because two people are registered to the account.
For donors who spend a lot of money like Halverson, that type of issue can lead to a quick escalation of spending, possibly over the limit, Magney said.
If there isn't a legitimate reason for the violation, the donor faces a forfeiture of one-and-a-half times the amount he or she spent over the limit. For an example, a donor who gave $1,000 over the limit would pay a fine of $1,500.
Davis said Thursday he was aware his campaign received money from Halverson, but he had no way of knowing Halverson would end up overspending.
"I know everybody who donates because I look at every check that comes in," he said.
During a campaign, Davis typically holds fundraising events, some on certain campaign topics, and people will show up and give money; often in the form of a check. He also collects money from friends and family, as well as through campaign mailings.
Once the money is received, Davis and his treasurer work closely to photocopy each check and deposit them. Finally, each check or donation must be registered with the Government Accountability Board.
Davis said he would work fully with any investigation into any campaign donations violations by the Board. Davis also received money from Robert Wolfberg, of Payday Loan Store, in Glencoe, Ill. Wolfberg also is on the list of overspending donors.
"Transparency is the key in campaign finance reports," Davis said.