[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 97 (Thursday, July 12, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H3989-H3990]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2356, BIPARTISAN CAMPAIGN REFORM 
                              ACT OF 2001

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York (Mr. Reynolds) 
has 1 minute remaining on debate on the rule.
  Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, the time is here. We are going to have a vote on this 
rule. This is a fair rule. It allows for full debate on Shays-Meehan, 
along with the 14 changes the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) 
and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan) want to make to their 
own bill. It provides an opportunity for an amendment of the Ney-Wynn 
bill, the Doolittle bill and the Linder bill, along with numerous other 
amendments of Members who appeared before the Committee on Rules.
  It is a fair rule, one that allows for a full, balanced debate on 
this very important legislation. This will bring about, once and for 
all, a great debate, a debate that the entire House can participate in. 
The rule that is provided before us, if it is voted up, we have the 
debate; if it is voted down, it is for those who opposed it to live for 
another day to demagogue it, rather than vote on it.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, the 2000 presidential election 
may well be remembered for ``hanging chads'' and other evidence of the 
imperfections in our electoral system. The right to vote is our most 
precious freedom. We cannot afford to have a repeat of last fall's 
problems.
  The 2000 presidential election, therefore, should direct our 
attention once again to the need for campaign and electoral reform. 
Both political parties are motivated to address the issue in this 107th 
session of the Congress. I have already cosponsored legislation to 
provide states with the tools they need to ensure uniformity and 
improve voter accuracy and access. We must be careful, however, not to 
let our efforts to achieve voting reform mask the critical problem with 
our electoral process--the uncontrolled and pernicious influence of big 
money on the outcome of our elections. So, today, I rise in strong 
support of the Shays-Meehan legislation, which will help fix many of 
our system's problems.
  It is time for Congress to enact campaign finance reform because 
quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, our federal campaign finance system is 
broken. Last year, both parties spent unprecedented amounts in soft 
money for a new record in the campaigns for control of the White House 
and Congress.
  New Mexicans--like all Americans--are justifiably appalled by the 
fact that the amount of money spent in elections has increased 
exponentially with no end in sight. The Democratic and Republican 
national party committees raised a record $463 million in soft money 
from January 1, 1999 through December 31, 2000, according to a Common 
Cause analysis released in February. The amount raised during this past 
election cycle was nearly double the $235.9 million raised during the 
1995-1996 election cycle. We must take action now.
  In the 106th Congress, and again in the 107th, I was elected by my 
colleagues to take a leadership role on the issue of campaign finance 
reform in the House of Representatives. In September 1999, I helped 
floor manage the House's passage of the Shays-Meehan legislation which 
would have closed some of the worst loopholes in the campaign finance 
laws. However, this bill never became law because of the opposition of 
a single Senator.
  In spite of this setback, a bipartisan group, led by John McCain and 
Russell Feingold, have passed their legislation in the other body. It 
is my hope that, this year, the House will follow suit, and pass 
meaningful campaign finance reform legislation and that the President 
will sign it into law.
  Current law authorizes contributions by individuals of up to $1,000 
per candidate per election and up to $5,000 per Political Action 
Committee (PAC) per election. Corporations and unions are prohibited 
from making any contributions to candidates or their campaigns.
  Nevertheless, individuals, unions, and corporations give 
contributions of hundreds of thousands of dollars, indeed, millions to 
campaigns as so-called ``soft'' money to the political parties 
themselves. The soft money loophole is based on the fiction that a 
contribution to the Democratic party or the Republican party is 
different in reality from a contribution to the party's candidates. It 
is fiction because parties spend most of the contributions on 
television campaigns and those campaigns have one goal--electing 
candidates. Banning unregulated, unlimited contributions to parties is 
the core of campaign finance reform.
  Campaign finance reform is vital to every other piece of legislation 
that Congress considers. From the very real need for a patients bill of 
rights to the acute need for a comprehensive national energy policy, to 
the need for a Medicare prescription drug benefit to education reform, 
the people's voices should be heard and not drowned out by big money. 
Vested interests have too often been able to exert influence in 
Congress and White House through the soft money loophole.
  Mr. Speaker, campaign finance reform is the most important step 
Congress can take to restore citizens' belief in our democratic 
process. What better motivation for reform than the egregious excesses 
of the 2000 election--both in voter access and in campaign 
contributions? We must act before the 2002 election, before the abuses 
of the electoral process have so distorted the democratic ideal that we 
are no longer truly a ``government of the people, by the people and for 
the people.''
  I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill. The time is now for real 
campaign finance reform. Passage of the Shays-Meehan legislation is the 
only true way to achieve that goal.
  Mr. BALDACCI. Mr. Speaker, I am outraged by the unprecedented rule 
that has been developed for consideration of the Shays-Meehan campaign 
finance reform legislation. I have never before seen a rule that 
divides a Manager's Amendment into 14 separate provisions and requires 
each of them to be passed individually. The Republican Leadership has 
really outdone themselves this time in finding new and creative ways to 
thwart the will of the American people.
  Since first being elected to office, I have strongly supported 
meaningful campaign finance reform. I was so hopeful last year when the 
House passed Shays-Meehan by an overwhelming vote--only to see it die 
in the Senate.
  This year, we were hopeful again. The Senate has passed McCain-
Feingold. The House Leadership committed to allowing a vote on Shays-
Meehan.
  But the Republican Leadership is still trying to pull the rug from 
under reform again. The Republican Leadership's rule is designed to 
make it as difficult as possible for Shays-Meehan to pass in the form 
its sponsors recommend.
  If the Rule is defeated, as I believe it should be, the Leadership 
should rest assured that supporters of campaign finance reform will not 
go quietly. The American people have said time and again that they want 
to see our campaign finance system cleaned up in a meaningful way. 
Defeating this rule will not defeat this issue. We will be back, and 
Shays-Meehan will ultimately pass this body.
  Americans have lost all confidence in the campaign finance system. 
Rules like this may cause them to lose all confidence in the U.S. 
Congress. I urge my colleagues to defeat this rule and to demand that 
Shays-Meehan be brought back under a fair rule so that we can do the 
will of the American people and start

[[Page H3990]]

the process of restoring the faith of the American people in their 
government.
  Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I 
move the previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
  The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 203, 
nays 228, not voting 3, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 228]

                               YEAS--203

     Aderholt
     Akin
     Armey
     Bachus
     Baker
     Ballenger
     Barr
     Bartlett
     Barton
     Bereuter
     Biggert
     Bilirakis
     Blunt
     Boehner
     Bonilla
     Bono
     Brady (TX)
     Brown (SC)
     Bryant
     Burr
     Burton
     Buyer
     Callahan
     Calvert
     Camp
     Cannon
     Cantor
     Capito
     Chabot
     Chambliss
     Coble
     Collins
     Combest
     Cooksey
     Cox
     Crane
     Crenshaw
     Cubin
     Culberson
     Cunningham
     Davis, Jo Ann
     Davis, Tom
     Deal
     DeLay
     DeMint
     Diaz-Balart
     Doolittle
     Dreier
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Ehlers
     Ehrlich
     Emerson
     English
     Everett
     Ferguson
     Flake
     Fletcher
     Foley
     Forbes
     Fossella
     Frelinghuysen
     Gallegly
     Gekas
     Gibbons
     Gilchrest
     Gillmor
     Gilman
     Goode
     Goodlatte
     Goss
     Granger
     Graves
     Green (WI)
     Greenwood
     Grucci
     Gutknecht
     Hansen
     Hart
     Hastert
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayes
     Hayworth
     Hefley
     Herger
     Hilleary
     Hobson
     Hoekstra
     Horn
     Hostettler
     Hulshof
     Hunter
     Hutchinson
     Hyde
     Isakson
     Issa
     Istook
     Jenkins
     Johnson (IL)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones (NC)
     Keller
     Kelly
     Kennedy (MN)
     Kerns
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Kirk
     Knollenberg
     Kolbe
     LaHood
     Largent
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Lewis (KY)
     Linder
     Lucas (OK)
     Manzullo
     McCrery
     McHugh
     McInnis
     McKeon
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Miller, Gary
     Moran (KS)
     Myrick
     Nethercutt
     Ney
     Northup
     Norwood
     Nussle
     Osborne
     Ose
     Otter
     Oxley
     Pence
     Peterson (PA)
     Pickering
     Pitts
     Platts
     Pombo
     Portman
     Pryce (OH)
     Putnam
     Quinn
     Radanovich
     Ramstad
     Regula
     Rehberg
     Reynolds
     Riley
     Rogers (KY)
     Rogers (MI)
     Rohrabacher
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Royce
     Ryan (WI)
     Ryun (KS)
     Saxton
     Schaffer
     Schrock
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shadegg
     Shaw
     Sherwood
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Skeen
     Smith (MI)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Spence
     Stearns
     Stump
     Sununu
     Sweeney
     Tancredo
     Tauzin
     Taylor (NC)
     Terry
     Thomas
     Thornberry
     Thune
     Tiahrt
     Tiberi
     Toomey
     Traficant
     Vitter
     Walden
     Walsh
     Watkins (OK)
     Watts (OK)
     Weldon (FL)
     Weldon (PA)
     Weller
     Whitfield
     Wicker
     Wilson
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)

                               NAYS--228

     Abercrombie
     Ackerman
     Allen
     Andrews
     Baca
     Baird
     Baldacci
     Baldwin
     Barcia
     Barrett
     Bass
     Becerra
     Bentsen
     Berkley
     Berman
     Berry
     Bishop
     Blagojevich
     Blumenauer
     Boehlert
     Bonior
     Borski
     Boswell
     Boucher
     Boyd
     Brady (PA)
     Brown (FL)
     Brown (OH)
     Capps
     Capuano
     Cardin
     Carson (IN)
     Carson (OK)
     Castle
     Clay
     Clayton
     Clement
     Clyburn
     Condit
     Conyers
     Costello
     Coyne
     Cramer
     Crowley
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis (FL)
     Davis (IL)
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delahunt
     DeLauro
     Deutsch
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Dooley
     Doyle
     Edwards
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Etheridge
     Evans
     Farr
     Fattah
     Filner
     Ford
     Frank
     Frost
     Ganske
     Gephardt
     Gonzalez
     Gordon
     Graham
     Green (TX)
     Gutierrez
     Hall (OH)
     Hall (TX)
     Harman
     Hastings (FL)
     Hill
     Hilliard
     Hinchey
     Hinojosa
     Hoeffel
     Holden
     Holt
     Honda
     Hooley
     Houghton
     Hoyer
     Inslee
     Israel
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson-Lee (TX)
     Jefferson
     John
     Johnson (CT)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Jones (OH)
     Kanjorski
     Kaptur
     Kennedy (RI)
     Kildee
     Kilpatrick
     Kind (WI)
     Kleczka
     Kucinich
     LaFalce
     Lampson
     Langevin
     Lantos
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Leach
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lipinski
     LoBiondo
     Lofgren
     Lowey
     Lucas (KY)
     Luther
     Maloney (CT)
     Maloney (NY)
     Markey
     Mascara
     Matheson
     Matsui
     McCarthy (MO)
     McCarthy (NY)
     McCollum
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McIntyre
     McKinney
     McNulty
     Meehan
     Meek (FL)
     Meeks (NY)
     Menendez
     Millender-McDonald
     Miller, George
     Mink
     Mollohan
     Moran (VA)
     Morella
     Murtha
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Olver
     Ortiz
     Owens
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Pastor
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Peterson (MN)
     Petri
     Phelps
     Pomeroy
     Price (NC)
     Rahall
     Rangel
     Reyes
     Rivers
     Rodriguez
     Roemer
     Ross
     Rothman
     Roukema
     Roybal-Allard
     Rush
     Sabo
     Sanchez
     Sanders
     Sandlin
     Sawyer
     Scarborough
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Scott
     Serrano
     Shays
     Sherman
     Shows
     Simmons
     Skelton
     Slaughter
     Smith (WA)
     Snyder
     Solis
     Souder
     Spratt
     Stark
     Stenholm
     Strickland
     Stupak
     Tanner
     Tauscher
     Taylor (MS)
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thurman
     Tierney
     Towns
     Turner
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Upton
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Wamp
     Waters
     Watson (CA)
     Watt (NC)
     Waxman
     Weiner
     Wexler
     Wolf
     Woolsey
     Wu
     Wynn

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Lewis (CA)
     Moore
     Paul

                              {time}  1743

  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut changed her vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
  Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland changed his vote from ``present'' to 
``yea.''
  So the resolution was rejected.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Stated for:
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 228, I was 
unavoidably detained. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea.''

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