[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 119 (Tuesday, September 14, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H8158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   AMENDMENTS AND SUBSTITUTES TO THE SHAYS-MEEHAN BILL WOULD WEAKEN 
                        CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

  (Ms. SLAUGHTER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, almost every year since I have been in 
the House we have struggled to try to pass meaningful campaign finance 
reform, and this year is no different.
  Ten poison pill amendments and substitutes have been introduced that 
are designed to weaken the Shays-Meehan bill. This bill is necessary to 
cut off the flow of unlimited and often undisclosed money into the 
Federal election system.
  Specifically, the bill closes two primary loopholes through which 
this money flows into Federal campaigns, soft money and sham issue ads. 
All of us have received letters and phone calls from constituents who 
care about this issue and want this system cleaned up.
  One of my constituents stated that as long as the fox has full access 
to the henhouse, he has no plans to repair the hole. So it goes with 
politicians, he said. He believes the only way campaign finance reform 
would happen would be to take it out of our hands.
  Let us prove him wrong. Congress needs to close these loopholes now 
to stop the corruption of elections into the 21st century and to 
restore Americans' faith in their government. Vote yes on Shays-Meehan 
and no on the poison pill amendments.

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