Bipartisan group on Capitol Hill aims to close foreign money loophole on ballot initiatives

The recent flurry of activity on Capitol Hill shows "there is reason to be optimistic that Congress will finally step in to close the federal loophole," said Erin Chlopak, senior director of campaign finance at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center and a former FEC official. Eight states so far -- Idaho, California, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Washington -- have enacted laws that bar foreign money going into state and local ballot measures, according to a research by Aaron McKean, legal counsel at the Campaign Legal Center.

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