Colorado’s silly campaign-finance law has become a national spectacle among inside-ball politicos, mostly for igniting the hobby of one low-level agitator with lots of time on his hands.

A bill working its way through the Legislature, as of late Friday, would improve compliance with the law and reduce its abuse.

As reported last month in the right-leaning Reason magazine, anti-conservative activist Matt Arnold has used the state’s Amendment 27 to file dozens of complaints against grass-roots conservative Republicans. Most involve trivial clerical errors, with no significant ramifications, which could and would be cleared up in moments with the mere courtesy of notice.

Arnold tried at least once, in vain, to monetize a complaint by asking the defendant for $10,000.

One typical complaint sought more than $30,000 in fines because of clerical errors involving two $3 donations. For average Coloradans, the threat of big fines for tiny mistakes is enough to dissuade them from participation in the political process.

Read more at the Colorado Springs Gazette.