[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21417]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   NOW IS THE TIME TO CLEAN UP THE SPECIAL INTEREST MONEY MESS THAT 
                        DOMINATES OUR CAMPAIGNS

  (Mr. DOGGETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, today this House has an important 
opportunity to clean up the special interest money mess that dominates 
our campaigns. Approval of the bipartisan Shays-Meehan campaign finance 
reform legislation can go a long way in correcting some of the wrongs 
that dominate this Congress.
  To get real change, however, we must approve this bill without any 
change. The amendments that are being offered, the substitutes, some of 
them appear to be direct, straightforward efforts to kill this 
legislation. Others of them are in seemingly innocuous form but the 
sole purpose of every amendment, every substitute, is to block reform.
  Last year, the Republican leadership, every single Member of the 
Republican leadership of this House, voted against reform. And they 
managed to delay consideration of this bill, delay it long enough that 
they finally succeeded in killing it.
  Today we call on them to join with us, to join with leaders on both 
the Republican and Democratic side, in support to reform, in cleaning 
up this mess, so that we can move forward to address the real issues 
that concern the American people.




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