By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
10/4/07 – The Missouri Ethics Commission has decided not to act yet on whether candidates must return contributions that exceed limits that the State Supreme Court reinstated.
Representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties each argued their case before the commission.
The Democrats asked commissioners to require all over-the-limit contributions be returned, and the G.O.P. asked that no action be taken until lawmakers can weigh in on the matter next year.
Returning contributions that exceed the restored limits would hurt Republicans more than Democrats.
Executive Director Bob Connor says, instead, the commission asked him to first analyze campaign finance reports.
"(They've asked me to) prepare a detailed report on who is over, how much they're over, and a method to look at the total system," Connor said.
October 15th is the deadline for political candidates to turn in their campaign finance reports to the Ethics Commission.
"They will then determine how they're gonna go from there...I don't know what October 15th's gonna bring...that's the titular date, so we have to wait for that," Connor said.
Commissioners are expected to make their decision at their next meeting, in November.
The Missouri Supreme Court in July struck down a law that had done away with contribution limits dating back to the first of the year.