[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 37 (Friday, March 27, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              NOW IS THE TIME FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I was hoping that we could deal with 
campaign finance reform this week. I come fresh from the campaign 
trail. Mine was a hard-fought race, too close to call even on the last 
day. That was just 3 weeks ago, and today I feel like a foot soldier 
come back from the frontlines to find that the generals do not seem to 
understand the battlefield.
  Madam Speaker, in my race, so-called issue advocacy dominated the 
landscape. My opponent and I did not agree on much, but we were both 
dismayed at special interest outside groups with unlimited funds which 
interfered with our ability to communicate with voters on matters of 
concern to them.
  These folks will be back this fall in every contested race, and they 
have said that eventually candidates will be incidental in 
congressional races. Madam Speaker, they are talking about me and all 
of my colleagues. We have the responsibility in this place to return 
the power of the elections to the citizens of our district. We must 
pass bilateral, bipartisan campaign finance reform such as the Shays-
Meehan bill. Our credibility depends on it. We must do it now.

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