All Pawtucket All The Time

AG Candidate Announces Plan to Fight Practice of Campaign Contributions for Government Contracts

Pawtucket, RI – As Attorney General Candidate Peter Kilmartin continues his fight against “pay-to-play,” he announced today his plan to fight against the corrupt practice when elected.

“Enough is enough. Corruption has proven that it never sleeps in Rhode Island and it can no longer be tolerated,” said Kilmartin. “As Attorney General, I will lead the charge against corruption by cracking down on practices like ‘pay-to-play’ and will use all of the powers endowed to the office to aggressively prosecute those that violate the public trust.” 

Rhode Island does not currently have tough restrictions on political contributions by a contracting entity with the government to officeholders who award contracts. In order to remedy this, Peter Kilmartin led the charge by fighting for passage of a bill aimed at combating “pay-to-play” (H.7386). As Attorney General, Kilmartin will continue to push legislators to pass an even stronger law cracking down on “pay-to-play.”

Kilmartin’s Plan as Attorney General  to Combat “Pay-to-Play” includes: 

• All no-bid and competitive-bid government contracts will be subject to tough “pay-to-play” restrictions, as well as state and local officials ultimately responsible for awarding the contract or appointing administrators who award the contract. 
• Board members, officers, managers and individuals who hold at least 5 percent ownership interest, as well as their spouses and dependent children age 18 or older of the contracting entity will be subject to “pay-to-play” restrictions.
• Covered individuals in the contracting entity may not make contributions from the day the proposal is submitted and the aggregate limit for the contracting entity is one year after dissemination of the contract. PACs affiliated with the contracting entity also fall within rules regarding a contracting entity.
• Violation of a contracting entity will result in contract cancellation, suspension for one year from submitting a proposal for a competitive-bid contract or entering into a no-bid contract, as well as payment of an amount equal to the value of the contribution to the state no more than thirty days after notice of the violation from the board of elections.
• A candidate receiving contributions in violation of the law from a contracting entity must forfeit the amount of the contribution to the state no more than thirty days after notice of the violation from the board of elections. 

This announcement comes on the heels of an opinion issued by the United State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Connecticut in which they upheld significant portions of Connecticut’s law aimed at fighting against “pay-to-play.” Specifically, the Court upheld the state’s strict prohibition against contractors from contributing to the campaigns of candidates.

Nine states – Connecticut, South Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Hawaii, New Jersey, Illinois, Colorado, and the Federal Government – currently have such restrictions.

About Peter Kilmartin
Peter Kilmartin served as Pawtucket police officer for nearly 24 years, rising to the rank captain and officer in charge of prosecution. Currently, he is an attorney, college professor, state representative and Candidate for Attorney General. For more information, please visit www.peterkilmartin.com.