[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 38 (Monday, March 30, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

  (Mr. ROEMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, certainly the American people have a great 
deal of cynicism and outright apathy some days about the United States 
Congress because of the way that they handle campaign finance reform 
and other kinds of activities, sometimes late at night, sometimes at 2 
or 3 o'clock in the morning, and sometimes not at all.
  Tonight, I think we have the worst of all possible worlds. The 
Republican leadership has put an important issue to the American 
people, campaign finance reform, on the Suspension Calendar. Many 
Members are coming back home. They will not even be able to be involved 
in the debate. It requires two-thirds vote for passage on the 
Suspension Calendar. That is an unbelievably high hurdle or obstacle to 
overcome for any bill, let alone campaign finance. So we have got more 
and more cynicism, more and more distrust of our system here in 
Washington, D.C.
  Let us debate this bill in the middle of the day so the American 
people can pay attention and decide which way they think legitimate 
campaign finance reform needs to go.

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