[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 51 (Wednesday, April 14, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H1980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM DISCHARGE PETITION

  (Mr. CLEMENT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of 
substantive campaign finance reform. This Congress has talked a lot 
about it, but we have not done anything about it. It is a shame that it 
is going to take a discharge petition to even bring it before the 
floor. I encourage everyone to sign this discharge petition.
  If we are serious about passing real campaign finance reform 
legislation this year, not later, everyone knows what we need to do. We 
need to ban soft money. We need to limit the wealthy from being able to 
buy elections rather than earning elections. We need to crack down on 
the issue of issue ads as campaign ads, and we need to improve 
disclosure and enforcement of the Federal Election Commission.
  We just need to have the courage to do what must be done. Sign the 
discharge petition. Let us pass real campaign finance reform 
legislation this year. Let us base it in the future on the richness of 
message, not the richness of pocketbook. We have got to do this for the 
sake of the people and for the American people moving into the 21st 
century.

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