Colorado Groups File Complaint Against Gessler

DENVER (AP) - Two Colorado government accountability groups filed a complaint against Secretary of State Scott Gessler alleging that he wrongly changed a campaign finance rule to increase the monetary threshold for some disclosures.

Colorado Ethics Watch and Colorado Common Cause say Gessler was wrong to increase the contribution trigger for when a group has to file as an issue committee from $200 to $5,000.

The groups say Gessler doesn't have the authority to make that change.

The complaint was filed Thursday in Denver District Court. A hearing date hasn't been set.

Gessler's office says an appeals court ruled the $200 threshold is unconstitutionally low and that issue committee reporting would be unenforceable without a higher trigger.

Common Cause argues contributions will be hidden from the public because of the rule change.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)