Alabama considers commission to watch campaign dollars

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama legislators who have been studying state election laws say there's a problem: Candidates for state offices have to report their contributions and expenditures, but little is being done to make sure the reports are filed accurately. Members of the Legislature's Interim Study Committee on Campaign Finance Reform say the solution could be to create a small state agency similar to the Federal Elections Commission. They are trying to come up with a bill for the legislative session starting in January. Republican Sen. Bryan Taylor chairs the committee. He says change is needed because no one is monitoring campaign finance reports. But House Democratic leader Craig Ford says creating another agency would waste state money.