Two years after it was promised, a campaign-finance reform plan that requires increased disclosure of political contributions and expenditures will be rolled out today by Gov. Bob Taft and Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell.

The two Republicans will unveil their proposal during a 10 a.m. news conference. The measure will be subject to approval by the GOP-controlled General Assembly.

The thrust of the proposal is a requirement for full disclosure of contributions to political-party operating funds, and of expenditures by those funds, said Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo. Such funds are now exempt from public disclosure.

In addition, LoParo said, the measure would require financial disclosure by issue-advocacy groups, such as Citizens for a Strong Ohio. In 2000, the group, backed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, spent an estimated $4 million in an unsuccessful attempt to oust Justice Alice Robie Resnick, a Democrat, from the Ohio Supreme Court. Neither the contributions nor the expenditures were reported.

The Taft-Blackwell proposal also could apply to labor unions that provide voter-education and get- out-the-vote support to the Ohio Democratic Party without reporting the help as contributions.

LoParo and Mary Anne Sharkey, spokeswoman for the governor, said the timing is right to enact campaign-finance reform in Ohio.

"The momentum has been building, thanks to the McCain-Feingold bill,'' a recently passed federal campaign law, Sharkey said. "People are more receptive right now to the need for disclosure.''

There has long been a call for reforming the way campaigns are financed. But things came to a head about two years ago after revelations about Team Ohio, an exclusive offer by Taft to give seats in his Ohio Stadium box to contributors who gave $50,000 to the Ohio Republican Party operating fund.

This year, the Hamilton County Republican Party's operating fund attained notoriety because of money solicited for the secret account by state Treasurer Joseph T. Deters and others -- including a check for $50,000 from Frank Gruttadauria, a Cleveland broker now in jail on charges that he bilked clients of millions. Party officials refused to disclose details about the fund.

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David J. Leland said disclosure is "always better for voters so they know who is making contributions and what kind of expenditures.''

Leland said his party opened the books on its operating fund two years ago, but Republicans did not.

If the Taft-Blackwell plan becomes law, "Millions of dollars that have been secretly stashed in the Republican Party slush fund are going to be uncovered,'' Leland said.

He added that he did not see how the law could apply to unions -- they already report contributions.

Robert T. Bennett, Leland's GOP counterpart, declined to comment on the proposal until it is released.

"The Ohio Republican Party supports full disclosure of all political contributions,'' spokesman Jason Mauk said.

Meanwhile, Ohio Citizen Action reported yesterday that statewide and legislative candidates are improving in identifying the occupations and employers of their contributors, but some fine-tuning needs to be done.

The government watchdog agency reported that, in 2001, candidates identified the employers or occupations of donors who gave 97.4 percent of the $6.47 million in contributions.

Catherine Turcer, campaign reform director of Citizen Action, said 92 percent of contributions were properly identified in 1999-2000.

However, the organization reported, 57 candidates identified the employers or occupations too broadly by using terms such as businessman, laborer or self-employed.

Taft identified employers or occupations for 97.8 percent of the $2.34 million his campaign raised, but his grade was 93.17 percent for specific identification. Tim Hagan, Taft's Democratic opponent, rated 93.16 percent both for total identification and specific identification.

Blackwell, the Republican in charge of enforcing the election law, scored 98 percent in identifying the occupations or employers of the donors of the $339,347 he raised in 2001.

Dispatch Statehouse Reporter Lee Leonard contributed to this story.

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