Arizona campaign funding system transfers $20 million

The commission that runs Arizona’s public campaign finance system is giving $20 million to the state general fund.

The Citizens Clean Elections Commission gets its funding mostly from surcharges on traffic and criminal fines and does not receive any state appropriations.

The commission transfers to the general fund any money it doesn’t believe it will need, and commission Executive Director Todd Lang says the commissioners want to support the state as much as possible at a time of budget trouble.

The commission made a $10 million transfer last February in the previous fiscal year. The latest $20 million transfer raises the total transfers to $64 million since 2003.