[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 27, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S4390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REGULATION OF 527 ORGANIZATIONS

  Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, earlier today, as a member of the Senate 
Rules Committee, I participated in a markup of legislation that 
purports to regulate the so-called 527 organizations. What started out 
as campaign finance reform legislation in the view of many, both 
Democrats and Republicans, in this body, unfortunately, turned, through 
the amendment procedure and the markup, into a very different kind of 
legislation.
  I commend Senator Lott, chairman of the Rules Committee. He was 
eminently fair throughout and gave each one of us an opportunity to 
present our amendments to be fully considered and voted upon. But one 
amendment that was introduced at the very outset, that was voted 
favorably upon by all members of the majority caucus as well as I 
believe one or two Democrats, but not nearly enough to carry the 
legislation, drastically shifted the bill to one that opens vast new 
opportunities for political action committees, special interests, to 
increase their contributions and for Members of Congress, Members of 
the Senate to direct those moneys to other political campaigns.
  Specifically, the amendment that was adopted increased the 
contributions allowed to political action committees from $5,000 to 
$7,500. That is a 50-percent increase.
  The amendment increased the amount of money that political action 
committees could contribute to national political parties from $15,000 
to $25,000. That is a 67-percent increase. And it eliminated the 
restrictions on trade associations soliciting member companies for 
those contributions without prior approval of those companies as well 
as limitations on the number of times each year they could be 
solicited.
  Most egregious, the amendment that was adopted allows Members of 
Congress to transfer unlimited amounts of money from their leadership 
political action committees to national parties and to the political 
committees that are established and maintained by a national political 
party which includes such enterprises as the Democratic and Republican 
senatorial campaign committees, congressional campaign committees, and 
other subdivisions and political committees of the national parties 
that are used to directly attack Members of Congress for their 
reelections or to assist challengers or to assist incumbents.
  It opened the door widely, broadly, in allowing Members of Congress 
to use their positions of power and influence to solicit these 
contributions from special interests on a year-round, round-the-clock 
basis and then turn those moneys over in unlimited amounts to all of 
these other political activities.
  So at the same time this legislation purported to restrict the 
ability of individuals to make these kinds of large expenditures on 
behalf of political causes and candidates, it threw the door wide open 
for special interest groups to do exactly what they said they were 
prohibiting. It is a terrible step in the wrong direction. It is 
evidence, again, of why allowing incumbents to be involved in so-called 
election law regarding their own self-interest is akin to giving a 
blowtorch to a pyromaniac. They simply cannot resist the abuses that 
are available to them.
  I urge my colleagues to look at this legislation cautiously as it 
proceeds to the Senate floor. It is a step in the wrong direction. I 
regret the action taken today.

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