On a day of three different rulings by two different courts, the state is facing both positives and negatives in campaign finance reform.
Beth Rotman, an attorney who oversees the state Citizen's Election Program that provides public financing to candidates, said attorneys were continuing to study the rulings. Rotman has been studying the issue for years, working closely with the intricacies of the complicated law.
"It's a mixed bag,'' Rotman told Capitol Watch. "Very important pieces of campaign finance reform were upheld, and very important pieces were not.''
Rotman said that, under the ruling, both lobbyists and state contractors can solicit campaign funds for political candidates. But contractors cannot make contributions themselves.
Lobbyists, who had been making contributions for years until the ban was imposed, will not be able to contribute once again.
"Everybody can solicit,'' Rotman said. "The important piece that we lost is the matching fund triggers. The Second Circuit struck down the trigger provisions as unconstitutional. We've won an important piece and lost an important piece.''