A bill to publicly finance state Supreme Court campaigns, known as the Impartial Justice Bill, passed the Joint Finance Committee today on a partisan 11-4 vote.

Democrats like Sens. Dave Hansen and Lena Taylor said the bill takes the "taint" out of the court.

"This is about clean elections and fair elections," Hansen said.

Republican Reps. Phil Montgomery and Robin Vos assailed the bill as "despicable" and "disgusting." Vos said Democrats are prioritizing campaigns over job creation at a time of great financial distress for state residents.

"Your priority is all about politics over people," Vos said.

Montgomery expressed concern that the fund could be accessed by future governors or Legislatures to balance the budget. He said the bill subverts democracy by taking Supreme Court elections out of the hands of the people and into "government control."

He also scoffed at the name of the fund.

"Calling it the Democracy Trust Fund is so far from the truth it's not even worth the paper it's printed on," he said.

Dem Reps. Pedro Colon and Mark Pocan said those who want to keep the status quo want to ensure that the "moneyed interests" continue to influence the elections.

"Average people don't give to the (Supreme Court) campaigns. It's the people who want something. It's the special interests," Pocan said.

The LFB estimates the fiscal impact of the bill in a given Supreme Court election is $3.5 million.

The bill establishes a Democracy Trust Fund with money generated by a $3 check-off on state individual income tax returns. Currently, the check-off is $1.

As the bill currently reads, the check-off is an "opt in" system, but some lawmakers have suggested that an "opt out" system in which tax filers would have to check a box to not participate in the fund would be more effective. An amendment to that effect may be added as the bill moves through the Legislature.

Participating candidates for Supreme Court Justice can receive $100,000 from the fund for the primary election and $300,000 for the spring election. Eligible candidates must collect 1,000 qualifying contributions totaling between $5,000 and $15,000.

If a candidate chooses not to participate, they would be limited to a contribution maximum of $1,000. Current law allows Supreme Court candidates to receive up to $10,000 from an individual and $8,625 from campaign committees.

-- By Greg Bump