,Fundraising for Medical Liability Reform Signature-Gathering Campaign Dwarfs Other Signature-Gathering Efforts

Fundraising for Medical Liability Reform Signature-Gathering Campaign Dwarfs Other Signature-Gathering Efforts


 

Publication Date: February 2004

Publisher: Democracy Reform Oregon

Author(s): Janice Thompson; Sarah Wetherson

Research Area: Law and ethics; Politics

Type: News release

Coverage: Oregon

Abstract:

In their effort to place limits on medical malpractice awards on the November 2004 ballot, doctors have raised $1.6 million, nearly 10 times the amount of the next largest signature-gathering PAC. Contributions to the medical liability reform effort illustrate the continuing domination of signature gathering fundraising by a few political players. The top four givers donated $939,710 for initiative petition #85 (medical liability reform)--nearly two-thirds of all of the money raised for that signature gathering effort. The top 10 donors to all of the PACs gave $1,315,024, which is 64.7 percent of all of the money raised for signature gathering to date.

By contrast, in 2002, 17 PACs reported raising a total of $644,264 through the first two disclosure periods to gather signatures for the 2002 November ballot. That's about one-third of the $2,031,466 that 11 PACs have reported for the parallel period this election cycle.