The bill that cleared a House committee this week would reinstate the ban with an exception for nonprofits that promote ideas and don't receive more than 10 percent of their funding from a specific business group. Legislators need to get a move on and pass it. If they don't, businesses will have more freedom to co-opt the political process and use their wealth to drown out the voices of ordinary voters. In the meantime, political parties and candidates need to show some self-restraint and not take advantage of the hole in the law. Chasing corporate money while the state's hands are tied would be the height of cynicism.
Issue ads purport to address a particular political issue but are designed to influence an election.
Federal courts have ruled that issue advocacy cannot be regulated unless it specifically endorses the election or defeat of a particular candidate.