Photo by Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

During a D.C. Council debate over a comprehensive ethics reform bill late last year, two proposals by Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) to prohibit bundled corporate campaign contributions and contributions from city contractors didn’t make it into the final version of the legislation. They were voted down by everyone but Wells, in fact.

At least one of Wells’ colleagues seems to have come around on the value of campaign finance reform, though. This afternoon Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) introduced legislation that would do what Wells had initially proposed—ban corporate contributions to local campaigns and limit “pay to play” politics by forbidding contracts from being given to individuals who gave more than $2,000 to a councilmember that could vote on that contract.

The bill, which is being co-sponsored by Wells, would also prohibit individuals who have raised more than $10,000 from receiving government contracts, leases or appointments within two years of the fundraising. Sound familiar to a recent scandal? It should. Jeffrey Thompson, whose office and home were raided by federal officials last Friday, was both the city’s largest contractor and one of its most generous fundraisers, giving over $730,000 to various candidates over the course of a decade. If passed into law, this bill would likely crack down on either his contracts or his fundraising activities.

The bill parallels a voter initiative that would ban corporate contributions; organizers are currently collecting the 23,000 necessary signatures to the get the measure on the ballot. Cheh said she supported the initiative, but wanted to attempt to do the same with legislation if possible.

“I wholeheartedly support the efforts of the District residents working on this, and this legislation falls in line with their goals. I want us to proceed along both tracks. How and from what sources candidates for public office fund their campaigns needs to be more transparent,” said Cheh in a statement.