After a state campaign-finance watchdog group sparked concern over questionable campaign funding practices in Wisconsin last week, State Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, announced Monday he plans to draft legislation that would limit sources of campaign donations.

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign released a report Wednesday detailing out-of-state campaign funds Gov. Jim Doyle received from January to June of this year. The report showed Doyle's reelection campaign was the beneficiary of $200,000 from donors outside of Wisconsin — more than 14 percent of his total campaign funds raised in that time.

Black said the bill would ban contributions from out-of-state benefactors to candidates running for Wisconsin's public offices.

"Recently we've seen a flood of money coming into Wisconsin's state elections from out of state," Black said. "There was a story recently that Doyle has received over $200,000 in the first six months of this year alone."

In the 2002 gubernatorial elections, Black said candidates for governor received a combined sum of more than $1.2 million in donations from out-of-state contributors.

"These out-of-state interests are trying to influence Wisconsin politics through a massive infusion of campaign contributions," Black said. "They don't live here, they don't have Wisconsin's best interests at heart — they are trying to influence state policy for their own benefits."

Black said some out-of-state campaign funds have come from top officials from Wal-Mart and SBC, and also from petroleum companies and "pay-day lenders," who advance money to their customers before they are formally paid.

In addition, Black said Doyle's two leading Republican competitors in the upcoming 2006 elections, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Wisc., have also accepted campaign contributions from non-Wisconsin donors.

According to the Associated Press, Green received 3.5 percent of his campaign money from non-Wisconsin contributors.

However, Jessica Erickson, communications director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin said the AP's numbers are incorrect.

"Of the $1.3 million Green transferred to his state campaign account to use in the Governor's race, $505,000 — or 39 percent — came from out-of-state donors," Erickson said in an e-mail.

Despite criticism, Doyle Press Secretary Melanie Fonder said Doyle would consider the bill if it were passed by the State Senate and Assembly.

Fonder said certain activities taking place within the state, like stem-cell research, are important to people in other states, thus drawing contributions from these outside donors for public officials who support such activities.

WDC Executive Director Mike McCabe said he would support a bill that would limit campaign contributions to donors who reside in the state, adding there are too many state-elected officials relying on out-of-state or out-of-district campaign funds.

"There's been a steady increase in the amount of money that's coming in from out of state," McCabe said. "Ordinary taxpayers are the losers when our elected officials are paying so much attention to these out-of-state donors."

McCabe said not only are out-of-state contributions a problem, but cases of state legislators receiving campaign funds from donors outside of the legislator's district are also common occurrences.

"The Assembly Speaker, John Gard, gets over 95 percent of his campaign money from people who can't vote for him," McCabe said.

Though Gard's voting district encompasses 13 counties in Northeastern Wisconsin, McCabe said the vast majority of Gard's campaign money comes from elsewhere in the state. In addition, McCabe said, Gard has received more out-of-state campaign funds than any other state legislator.

"That is a classic example of a Legislative leader who is far more beholden to his cash constituents than he is to his own [voting] constituents," McCabe said.

Gard receives much of his campaign money from wealthy areas in "the Gold Coast of Milwaukee," McCabe added.

However, Gard is not the only recipient of such funds, McCabe said, adding the problem is far-reaching in state politics.

"We're seeing most of the members of the Legislature taking more than two-thirds of their money from people who can't vote for them," McCabe said.

Though many advocates of campaign reform agree questionable out-of-state contributions should be curbed, Common Cause in Wisconsin Executive Director Jay Heck said the bill may not "withstand legal scrutiny" in the courts.

"As desirable as it would be to have this kind of public policy, in the three cases where other states have tried to do this, these kinds of bans have not been successful," Heck said.

Heck said a proposal limiting the amount of out-of-state funds elected officials receive to a specific percentage of their total funds would be more feasible.

Black will begin looking for co-sponsors for his bill and said he hopes to introduce the bill into the Legislature by the end of this month.

Support for the bill from both Democrats and Republicans may be questionable, Black added.

"I assume that politicians of both parties won't like this," Black said. "Unfortunately in state politics these days, politicians are desperate for money and fundraising is nonstop."

This is the first step in changing the way state offices are held, Black said, adding he has never taken campaign money from non-state donors.

"I think it's essential that we clean up Wisconsin politics," Black said. "Decisions at the state Capitol now are being based on who's writing the campaign checks, not based on what's best for the average person."