Secretary of State Michael Watson calls for loosening business regulations and campaign finance reform

Secretary of State Michael Watson outlined his legislative policy Wednesday, continuing to call for campaign finance reform, expressing support for restoring voting control and vowing to be the “wrecking ball” of business regulation.

Watson also acknowledged that his office received an email bomb threat Wednesday morning that shut down the Capitol for several hours, but deferred further questions to law enforcement.

Watson’s office flags several possible campaign finance violations as millions of dollars in dark money flowed into Mississippi horse racing during last year’s statewide elections in what appeared to be blatant disregard for the law. and filed numerous complaints. The election cycle once again revealed that Mississippi’s campaign finance laws are weak and enforcement is almost non-existent. Watson said at the time that his office did not have enforcement authority for the violations.

“We sent 10, 11, 12 campaign issues to the attorney general’s office, some of which we felt were fraud, but we didn’t see any enforcement.” said Watson.

Watson said he is seeking to give his office the power to impose fines for campaign finance violations and changes to the law.

He also wants lawmakers to approve and pay for a new campaign finance reporting system that would make it easier for voters to see and search campaign contributions to candidates, as in most other states. said. Watson previously estimated that such a digital system would cost between $2 million and $3 million.

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Watson also said he wants to end “grandparenting” under state law, which allows candidates to use money from pre-2018 campaign finance accounts for personal expenses. Reforms passed in 2017 allowed candidates to keep their old accounts, provided they do not accept new donations, and keep them separate from new accounts, where personal spending is prohibited. Watson said about 40 politicians still have these legacy accounts totaling about $5 million. He said Gov. Tate Reeves’s is the most notable, containing about $1.9 million and collecting thousands of dollars in interest each year.

“I’m not trying to criticize anyone with this,” Ms. Watson said, “…but I think it’s just wrong.”

Watson said he also wants to change the law to prohibit political action committees from donating to each other as a way to obfuscate the source of donations to politicians.

“I want to eliminate PAC-to-PAC donations,” Watson said.

Watson also said he wants lawmakers to restructure the Occupational Licensing Board, which he serves on along with the governor and attorney general. Watson proposed adding several other state employees but removing the attorney general, who legally represents the boards and commissions overseen by the OLRC. There is.

The OLRC was created by lawmakers in recent years as a way to rein in the many agencies, boards and commissions that regulate and license many businesses in Mississippi. The Magnolia State ranks among the nation’s top in the number of occupations that require special licenses, and many Republican leaders, including Watson, have called for less regulation.

Watson said Wednesday that he intends to be a “wrecking ball” for those boards, committees and red tape.

Watson also said he supports lawmakers who will restore voting rights to voters, take control of the issue and bypass them on statewide votes.

“We govern by the consent of the governed,” Watson said.

Watson said he would not propose major changes to the state’s voting system, such as expanding early voting.

“No, but the conversations about such issues are increasing every day,” Watson said. “As far as I know, we have a very good system here in Mississippi.”

podcast: Secretary of State Michael Watson proposes campaign finance reform