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Seattle committee hears bill that caps political donations at $5,000

Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez created the bill after Amazon poured $1.5 million to the 2019 city council elections.

SEATTLE —

A bill taking aim at Amazon’s influence in the Seattle City Council elections had its first hearing by a committee on Wednesday.

This past election season, Amazon donated over $1.4 million to a political arm of the Metropolitan Seattle Chamber of Commerce, trying to influence city council elections.

Metropolitan Seattle Chamber of Commerce supported a slate of seven candidates it perceived as more business-friendly.

However, Amazon's efforts to overhaul Seattle's City Council were not successful. 

The “Clean Campaigns Act” proposes a cap of all political contributions at $5,000, with the exception of Limited Contribution Committees (LCCs). 

"LCCs would be the only entities allowed to aggregate contributions above $5,000, all from small donors. These committees would mirror the requirements of the small donor threshold as Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program," according to the bill summary

RELATED: Amazon's spending in Seattle City Council races doesn't deliver

It also creates new reporting rules for donations and prevents companies with foreign ownership from contributing to local elections.

City Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez crafted the bill. She was not up for re-election this year.

KING 5 News reached out to Seattle’s Chamber of Commerce and Amazon for comment and has not heard back. 

RELATED: Big money flowing in from outside Seattle to influence city council elections

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