Reince Priebus: Fundraising now more transparent

Congress has voted on new fundraising laws that allow the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to raise more money from individual donors. However, the limits have only been raised to allow the parties to receive funds for specific purposes, including the national conventions.

Still, some people are concerned, asking "Doesn't this just mean more money in politics?" Very unlikely. People who want to give to political causes already have plenty of ways to do so. Lately, we've seen an influx of money into organizations that have no contribution limits; some don't have to disclose their donors to the public.

Because of Congress' vote, some of the money that might have gone to those organizations could instead go to the national parties, in a completely transparent process.

If you want to know who's donating to a party, you can easily find out online. The RNC and DNC must publicly release records of money spent and received every single month.

For those who want more transparency, this means more accountability in political fundraising. It also means taxpayers aren't on the hook for funding political events. Opposing this new measure means supporting more regulation.

Until recently, political conventions were heavily subsidized by the federal government using taxpayers' dollars. But last spring, Congress passed and the president signed legislation reallocating that money to pediatric cancer research.

That's a worthwhile cause. But without that money, the conventions needed a new source of funding. That's part of the reason why Congress drafted the new policy. Putting on a convention isn't cheap. But it's an event Americans have come to expect and look forward to. In an age when there are concerns about a lack of participation in politics, they're some of the most-watched events on TV. Now we've ensured the conventions will go on — just not at the taxpayers' expense.

In short, the new policy will increase transparency and fairness in political fundraising, protect the reallocation of money to cancer research, and keep alive the American tradition of political conventions.

Reince Priebus is chairman of the Republican National Committee. The Democratic National Committee did not respond to requests for an opposing view.