12-21-15 dark money states-wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Campaign finance advocates are watching Wisconsin, where new laws are removing limits on the use and reporting of “dark money” from secret sources.  The laws enable coordination between political campaigns and advocacy organizations, which most states forbid. Wisconsin does limit how much money individuals can contribute to the campaign committees for political candidates and ballot measures. It also requires campaigns to disclose their contributors.  But nonprofit advocacy groups usually can accept unlimited donations and aren’t required to report where the money came from, even when it’s used to influence elections.  GOP majorities in both houses approved the legislation for Gov. Scott Walker’s signature after an outside group connected to the billionaire Koch brothers was accused of illegally coordinating with the governor’s successful campaign against a recall effort in 2012.