[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 10, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE BIPARTISAN CAMPAIGN INTEGRITY ACT

  (Mr. HUTCHINSON asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the issue of campaign 
finance reform. As we debate this issue in the House, we should 
remember a couple of key points. First of all, there are supporters and 
detractors on both sides of the aisle.
  My Democrat friends have been critical. This is wrong. An old maxim 
in equity is, ``He who seeks equity must come in to equity with clean 
hands.'' Neither side should claim clean hands on this issue. When the 
Democrats had both the House and the administration, they did not pass 
campaign finance reform law.
  Second, we should enforce the law, but that should not be an excuse 
for a failure to legislate.
  Third, a soft money ban must be the centerpiece of any reform 
legislation. It is the greatest abuse; we must address that.
  Fourth, the solution must be bipartisan in nature, because otherwise 
it is doomed to failure and gridlock.
  The bipartisan Campaign Integrity Act, which is a bipartisan bill 
which we have worked together on, accomplishes this plus much more. I 
urge my colleagues to support it.

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