[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 13109-13110]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL GROUPS OPPOSED TO SHAYS-MEEHAN CAMPAIGN 
                          FINANCE REFORM BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I just have some comments on the Shays-
Meehan bill. This thing just died of the weight of opposition against 
it. I just want to read from a list of both conservative and liberal 
groups who oppose this legislation.
  In fact, you could get a positive rating from both the NARL, the 
National Abortion Rights League, and from the National Right to Life 
Committee by voting against this terrible bill. And then you can also 
get the same positive rating from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and from 
the AFL-CIO.
  I would just like to read into the record all these groups, 81 
groups, from information obtained from the Committee on House 
Administration, all the groups who are opposed to the big government's 
campaign regulation bill, known as Shays-Meehan.
  We have the American Civil Rights Union; the American Conservative 
Union; the Business-Industry PAC; the Center for Reclaiming America; 
the Christian Coalition; the Free Congress Foundation; Gun Owners Of 
America; the National Rifle Association; the National Right to Life 
Committee; the AFL-CIO; the Alliance for Justice; the American Civil 
Liberties Union; the Cato Institute; the Freedom Forum; the Libertarian 
Party; the National Association of Broadcasters; the National 
Association of Manufacturers; Associated Builders and Contractors; the 
U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Americans For Tax Reform; the United Auto 
Workers; the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; 
the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund; the Bazelon Center 
for Mental Health Law; the Business and Professional People for the 
Public Interest.
  Again, just to remind you, Mr. Speaker, these are all the 
organizations opposed to the big government campaign regulation known 
as Shays-Meehan.
  The Center for Digital Democracy; the Center for Law and Social 
Policy; the Center for Law in the Public Interest; the Center for 
Reproductive Law and Policy; the Center for Science in the Public 
Interest; the Children's Defense Fund; the Community Law Center; the 
Consumers Union; the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; the 
Drug Policy Foundation; Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund; Education Law 
Center; Employment Law Center; and Equal Rights Advocates.
  Let me see, the James Madison Center for Free Speech; Gun Owners of 
America; Free Congress Foundation. Okay, we are at 41. Here are the 
other 40.
  The Food Research and Action Center; the Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & 
Eisenberg firm; the Human Rights Campaign Foundation; Institute for 
Public Representation at Georgetown University Law Center; the Juvenile 
Law Center; the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund; the Legal

[[Page 13110]]

Aid Society of New York; the Mexican American Legal Defense and 
Educational Fund; the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action 
League Foundation; the National Association of Criminal Defense 
Lawyers; the National Center for Lesbian Rights; the National Center 
for Youth Law; the National Center on Poverty Law; the National 
Education Association; the National Employment Lawyers Association; the 
National Immigration Forum; the National Immigration Law Center; the 
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty; and for number 60, the 
National Legal Aid and Defender Association; all against the big 
government, heavy-handed, campaign finance regulation known as Shays-
Meehan.
  Number 61, and, again, all these groups are opposed, the National 
Mental Health Association; National Organization for Women Legal 
Defense; National Partnership for Women and Families; National Veterans 
Legal Services Program; National Women's Law Center; National Youth 
Advocacy Coalition; Native American Rights Fund; Natural Resources 
Defense Council; New York Lawyers for the Public Interest; Physicians 
for Human Rights; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Planned 
Parenthood Federation of America; Public Advocates, Inc.; Public 
Justice Center; the Tides Center; University of Pennsylvania, Public 
Service Program; Violence Policy Center; Welfare Law Center; the 
Wilderness Society; Women's Law Project; and the Youth Law Center.
  Eighty-one organizations opposed to the big government, heavy-handed 
campaign finance bill that went down today known as Shays-Meehan or 
McCain-Feingold in the Senate. No wonder this proposal is not moving 
forward. All these groups, from liberal to conservative, are opposed to 
it. And the Democrats voted to kill the rule that would have brought it 
up.

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