Political contributions from public contractors in New Jersey have declined by nearly 40 percent since 2006 when the state required greater transparency.

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The state Election Law Enforcement Commission says contributions have declined from $15 million to $9.1 million over that period.

The total value of contracts reported by businesses has fallen from $10.4 billion to $5.3 billion.

But commission executive director Jeff Brindle says contractors are evading the intent of the law by giving more to political action committees. Those contributions, which aren't covered under the law, have risen from 8.6 percent in 2006 to 17.8 percent of the total in 2011.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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