From Honolulu Advisor:  
A pilot program to publicly finance Big Island County Council elections could be in danger after the state Senate amended the proposal yesterday to also soften restrictions on corporate campaign contributions.
Linking the conflicting ideas in the same bill could poison negotiations if the bill moves to a state House and Senate conference […]

Report at Radio NZ.

Hoy.com (spanish) reports that the President of the Central Electoral Committee (JCE) in the Dominican Republic wants a reduction in the public financing given to the largest parties to achieve a more equitable distribution.  

Boston.com reports:
MONTPELIER, Vt.—Gov. Jim Douglas on Friday vetoed the Legislature’s latest effort to limit the influence of big money in politics, as well as an instant-runoff voting bill.

Douglas said his veto of the campaign finance bill was mainly due to his opposition to a provision limiting the amounts political parties can donate to campaigns. The […]

Hutchinson News Online has more on the reforms passed by the Kansas House:
The chamber overwhelmingly approved four bills making modest changes to state laws governing the handling of political money.
One of the bigger shifts involves shortening a blackout period shortly before an election. The loophole has kept the public from learning about last-minute campaign finance […]

The Kansas City Star’s David Klepper writes: 
The Kansas House on Friday passed campaign finance bills to require political action committees to give more details about how they spend money and to clarify spending rules for candidates.
All four bills passed easily and now go to the Senate for consideration.
The most significant bill, HB 2408, would require political […]

A reform of legislation dealing with public and private finance of political parties and the use of media during elections is on the government’s agenda for 2008, Uruguay al Día reports. Currently, Uruguay has no legislation governing political finance.

From the Columbia Tribune Politics Blog:
The Missouri Senate gave initial approval by a voice vote Wednesday to legislation that would rescind caps on campaign contributions. … The bill would also require campaigns accepting donations of $5,000 or more to list the contribution online within 48 hours.
 

The leftwing coalition FMLN in El Salvador asked the (rightwing) president Antonio Saca to support its proposal for campaign finance reforms a few days after the US accused the FMLN of receiving Venezuelan campaign finance in anticipation of next year’s presidential and congressional elections. AFP’s report (spanish) has no information about any details in the proposal.  

From Vermont, another take: “Campaign finance reform bill moving quickly through Legislature”
From Louisianna, an opinion: ”Jindal Ethics Flap Demands Louisiana Campaign Finance Reform”
From Minnesota, an explanation: ”The state reimburses some political donations.” Here, it is explained that citizens can get reimbursements for contributions made to candidates and parties (including the DFL - the Democratic-Farmer-Labour party).
The money comes […]

CQ reports on the political stalemate that has left the FEC without enough of commissioners to have a quorum.

After months of controversy and heated opposition, the Electoral Finance Bill passed into law today. The provisions according to the summary at the NZ Herald are:
Any group or person wishing to campaign for or against a particular candidate or political party, or policies held by a party, will fall under the third-parties regime…
…will have to […]

National delayed the third reading of the proposed reform in New Zealand. Had it been considered, Parliament would be done for the session. The delay may give National other political advantages, as they can attack the government on other matters. But it seems to set the stage for the final showdown on the bill before recess.  

The latest scandal for the Labour Party means the chances of reform may be revived, writes the BBC.

GMA News reports on ongoing efforts to enact public funding for parties in the Philippines:  
An international lawmakers’ group endorsed Saturday a Philippine proposal for state subsidy for political parties in a bid to reduce political corruption and bribery among political parties and their candidates.
…De Venecia’s state financing bill was approved at the Lower House […]

Today the print edition of the New Zealand Herald carried a rare front page editorial against the far-reaching Electoral Finance Bill which restricts public advocacy and campaigning in an election year.
The editorial begins:
When is the Government going to get this message: democracy is not a device to keep the Labour Party in power.
As I’ve covered […]

The Belfast Telegraph reports an interview with the UK’s Electoral Commission’s new regulations regarding political party finance in Northern Ireland. In brief, parties are now required to disclose their sources of income, which can only come from particular sources in the UK and in Ireland. There are no contribution limits and none of the information collected by […]

The Economist writes that the reforms to campaign finance in the UK are foundering as the parties are unable to reach compromise on Sir Hayden Phillips’ recommendations of more public funding and limits on spending and contributions.  Labor wants the public funding, but the Tories wont go for it unless there are limits on union […]

Money would be given to political parties to help them recruit immigrants if a reform to extend voting rights to foreign national were adopted, says Minister of State for Integration. Report at the Irish Times ($).  

Two weeks ago, the PM of Hungary, Ferenc Gyurcsany, said he would seek to pass bills to pursue greater transparency in public and political finance. Reuters Canada reports:
Gyurcsany last week became the first sitting Hungarian prime minister since the end of communism to be questioned by prosecutors in a case involving charges that a minor […]