Making our Community Better

Recently, I introduced the Public Contract Integrity Act in an effort to strengthen the public’s confidence in the awarding of contracts that have not gone through the public bidding process. This act is long overdue because it will help ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and eliminate the “pay-to-play” politics that have dominated our newspaper headlines.

This bill says the following:

• The legislation maintains that it is unlawful for a person who is seeking a government contract to have made a donation to a candidate in an amount more than $300 within one year of immediately prior to the awarding of a no-bid contract.
• Prior to receiving a contract that has not gone through the public bidding process, the person or entity awarded the contract must attest that they did not violate the campaign contribution limits.
• If an awardee is found to have exceeded the campaign contribution limits the awarded contract will become void.
• Violators of the act would be subject to a fine of $5,000 with each unlawful contribution constituting and additional offense.
• The Attorney General and district attorneys are given concurrent jurisdiction to enforce the act.