| Washington, D.C.- Supporters of campaign finance reform won a major victory yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives when a bipartisan congressional coalition obtained the necessary 218 signatures on a discharge petition to force an immediate vote in the House on this legislation. Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI), an original cosponsor of the bill, was the first Michigan member to sign the discharge petition, which removes the bill from committee and places it before the full House of Representatives for immediate consideration.
“In light of the recent Enron scandal, it is imperative that we move quickly to pass comprehensive and meaningful campaign finance reform legislation,” said Kildee. “I am proud to have been the first member of the Michigan delegation to force a fair vote on real, bipartisan campaign finance reform.”
The Shays-Meehan bill, H.R. 2356, effectively bans soft money contributions that have allowed wealthy special interests undue access and influence in our political system. This legislation restricts sham “issue ads” which flood our airwaves by requiring the use of hard money for broadcast communications. In addition, this bill requires broadcast television, cable or satellite providers to provide time to candidates and national parties at a rate comparable to the amount other advertisers pay.
“We have a wonderful opportunity to restore the integrity of our political system by removing the special interests that has plagued our system for years,” said Kildee. “I hope that Congress will take advantage of this opportunity to return the power of our democracy back to the people and away from special interest groups in Washington.” |
![[News from Congressman Dale Kildee]](letterhead.gif)