DENVER (AP) -- Lawmakers rejected a bill that sought to put limits to campaign contributions in Colorado school board elections.

The proposal died Thursday in a House committee. House Bill 1067 would have limited donations to $500 for an individual or $5,000 for an issue committee.

Democrats argued that a loophole allows school board races and races to oversee Denver's regional bus system to not have contribution limits like other political races. But Republicans on the committee seemed skeptical, and a spokesman for Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler pointed out that wealthy candidates could still spend whatever they like.

The contribution proposal came after some six-figure school board campaigns in the Denver area last fall.

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