[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 4, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              CAMPAIGN REFORM MUST START WITH ENFORCEMENT

  (Mr. HUGHES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HUGHES. Mr. Speaker, it looks like partisan politics has once 
again undermined the campaign finance reform bill.
  That's a shame, because we are never going to rebuild public 
confidence in our system of government until we find a way to limit the 
costs of campaigns and curtail the influence of special interest 
groups.
  But it is not just a matter of passing new laws to change the system. 
We must first do a better job of enforcing the laws which are already 
on the books.
  For example, I filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election 
Commission some 2 years ago, after I observed my opponent's supporters 
in his presence distributing campaign materials which did not identify 
who authorized and paid for them. One of these fliers was a poster with 
my face superimposed over that of Adolf Hitler. Of course, nobody knew 
where they came from.
  I have the FEC copies of these campaign materials and notarized 
statements from myself and others who observed their distribution. I 
also submitted newspaper articles in which the National Rifle 
Association admitted that they produced some of these materials.
  The FEC should have ruled on my complaint prior to the 1992 election, 
so that the NRA and my opponent would have been held accountable for 
their actions, but they didn't. In fact, it has been more than 2 years 
now and the FEC still hasn't issued a ruling on this case. That's 
ridiculous.
  It makes me wonder why we even have a review process if the FEC can't 
process complaints in a timely manner.
  What's more, the violations are continuing to occur. Just last month, 
the State of New Jersey levied its largest fine in history against the 
NRA, for failing to disclose some $200,000 in financial activity during 
the last election.
  Ironically, my opponent from 1992 was once again the beneficiary of 
the NRA's activities.
  There's no sense having an enforcement system which allows violations 
to occur over and over again, without holding the candidates themselves 
responsible for the activities of their own campaigns.

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