The state legislature approved on March 15 a second "Clean Elections Pilot Project" for the 2007 elections. The measure now goes to Gov. Jon Corzine, who is expected to sign it. The latest bill expands to three (from the two covered in 2005) yet-to-be-determined competitive districts featuring Assembly and Senate campaigns. The districts must be selected by April 9. Candidates in the selected districts can be certified as "clean elections" candidates by each raising up to $10,000 in seed money, with all donations coming from individuals in amounts of $500 or less. Candidates would then be required to collect donations of $10. Once they collect 400 of these donations, candidates would receive $50,000 in state aid for campaign expenditures. Collecting 800 donations would qualify them for a full $100,000 in state clean elections funds. Moreover, the bill allows "clean elections" candidates to obtain extra state funding if their opponents do not participate in the program, or if their opponents get money from third parties or other campaigns. (Check out NJ.Com http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-6/117402374924... for more information.) Passage of the law came so late in the process that proposals to expand coverage to primary elections--when races in many districts are actually decided--became moot. However, it does represent a step in the right direction. Whether anything would pass hung very much in the balance until the final vote. Our own Sen. Shirley Turner was a persistent and key force in getting the law approved, and we should congratulate her for this. Russ Weiss Co-chair PCDO Government Ethics Committee