[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 10 (Wednesday, February 11, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CALLING FOR A VOTE ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

  (Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague, the 
gentlewoman from Oregon, (Ms. Hooley) for her tenacity on an issue that 
I think is one of the most important issues that this body, this 
Congress, in this session should be working on, and that is campaign 
finance reform.
  We have had numerous conversations with the Speaker, trying to get a 
promise from him to bring this measure up. Trent Lott in the Senate has 
agreed to allow the McCain-Feingold bill to come forward.
  We have the perfect vehicle on the House side. A freshman task force 
has been working for the better part of a year, six Republicans, six 
freshman Democrats, in trying to get the poison pills out of a good 
finance reform bill, and believe we have done that.
  We have numerous cosponsors from across the aisle, and I am asking 
today for the Speaker and the leaders in this House to at least allow 
us to bring this issue up for a full debate and for consideration and 
for a vote on this bill this spring.
  I hear from my constituents in western Wisconsin that they do not 
expect me to take no for an answer, and figure out a way to get big 
money and the influence of money out of politics.

                              {time}  1515

  I think now is the day that we should act. The time has come, and I 
commend my freshman colleagues who have been working for the better 
part of a year to make that day a reality.

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