Nassau Democrats demand campaign donation disclosure bill

Nassau's seven Democratic legislators gathered Monday to demand the passage of a campaign contribution disclosure bill. The lawmakers say their bill aims to close a loophole that prevents lawmakers

News 12 Staff

May 10, 2016, 1:43 AM

Updated 3,075 days ago

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Nassau's seven Democratic legislators gathered Monday to demand the passage of a campaign contribution disclosure bill.
The lawmakers say their bill aims to close a loophole that prevents lawmakers from knowing if people seeking county contracts are donating to political clubs that in turn donate to elected officials.
The bill would require county vendors and individuals seeking contracts to disclose their political contributions to both party committees and local political clubs.
It comes as a company called VIP Splash Waterways Recovery Group is reportedly under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The company was among those awarded county contracts to clean up damage from Superstorm Sandy.
According to Newsday, the firm made a nearly $3,000 donation to the Hicksville Republican Club on the same day it secured a contract. The Republican Club is run by Deputy Chief County Executive Robert Walker.
In a statement, Republican Presiding Officer of the Legislature Norma Gonsalves said, "No loophole exists. All information is publicly available on the state website."
But Democrats maintain that the information is not put on the site in time for them to consider it when reviewing county contracts.
A spokeswoman for the Republicans says that even if a vendor did disclose which political club they donated to, it's impossible to determine how that club will actually spend the money.