August 29th, 2017 by WCBC Radio
The Maryland attorney general's office has cleared the way for the drafting of a bill that would allow public financing for candidates on a county-by-county basis.
The Washington Post reports General Assembly counsel Sandra Benson Brantley wrote in a letter earlier this month that a localized option would be legal if all candidates running in a given district had the same opportunity to use the public financing program, in response to a May request for guidance from Del. Marc A. Korman, D-Montgomery.
Korman says the opinion is "good news" that allows him to draft a bill for the 2018 legislative session.
Advocates of public financing say it increases opportunities for candidates to run without relying on big individual or corporate donors. Opponents say the government shouldn't fund individual campaigns.
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