[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6983]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      TAXPAYER BILL OF RIGHTS 2000

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                               speech of

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 11, 2000

  Mr. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, many Americans have lost faith in our 
political system. Routinely, half of those eligible to vote don't. 
People feel our political system is at best irrelevant, and at worst 
shot full of corruption. Our country is better than that and deserves 
congressional leadership that takes responsibility for finding 
solutions to this problem.
  Last September the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed 
Shays-Meehan, which would have drastically reformed the campaign 
finance system. It would have gotten rid of soft money and severely 
limited independent expenditures, but similar efforts died in the 
Senate due to the actions of a very small minority.
  Though Shays-Meehan remains a necessary reform, a new type of 
political organization threatens the integrity of our electoral 
process. Known as ``527s,'' and named after the provision of the tax 
law under which they are created, these organizations contend they can 
accept unlimited funds and never disclose the names of donors, the 
amount of contributions, or how the money is spent. This is possible 
because while these groups qualify as political committees under the 
tax code, they are not subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal 
Election Commission (FEC). These organizations have caught the eye of 
many observers, not the least of which is the Joint Committee on 
Taxation, which made note in a recent report of this disturbing trend 
in nonprofit disclosure.
  When I was running for Congress, people told he how fed up they were 
with ``the system.'' Though the term meant different things to 
different people, for most it was campaign finance laws that allow 
precisely this type of anonymous political activity. The consequences 
are a public cynicism and apathy that eat away at voter participation, 
and cause citizens to tune out discussions of very serious issues. It 
has turned a whole generation of young people away from politics as a 
means of government and social change.
  Simply put, the current campaign finance law alienates voters. I am 
hoping new legislation I've written will not only begin to restore the 
public trust, but will also take congressional seats off the 527 
auction block.
  The Campaign Integrity Act of 2000 (H.R. 3688), cosponsored by 51 of 
my House colleagues--including my good friend, Lloyd Doggett--would 
require 527s to meet the disclosure and reporting requirements of the 
Federal Election Campaign Act. This proposal would rewrite the Internal 
Revenue Code's section 527 definition of ``political organizations'' to 
require public disclosure of the name, address, and other identifying 
information about the group; a summary of cash on hand and 
disbursements; an itemized list of contributors, showing name, address, 
occupation, employer, and amount of contribution; other receipts; and 
disbursements (including independent expenditures, operating 
expenditures, refunds, and transfers).
  Violations would have stiff consequences--nothing less than loss of 
the organization's tax-exempt status would be at stake.
  This bill will not cure the ills of the campaign finance system, but 
instead represents two very important and necessary goals. First of 
all, this act closes the 527 loophole and re-establishes in this 
country the principle that campaigns will be transparent and subject to 
scrutiny. Secondly, this bill represents a reasonable political 
compromise that, in the absence of more comprehensive reform, gives 
Congress the opportunity to make upcoming elections more open, fair, 
and honest.
  To those who cling to ``free speech'' as an argument against reform: 
This legislation would not impose limitations on contributions to 527s, 
and therefore will not in any way interfere with the First Amendment. 
It would simply require full disclosure, forcing those who wish to 
exercise this type of expression to show their face, just like everyone 
else has to do.
  It is high time Congress shine light on 527s and tell special 
interest groups that the American people are our special interest. For 
the sake of our democracy, Congress needs to end the era of anonymous 
attack ads. Congress can--and should--rise to meet that challenge.

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