[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26130]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

  (Mr. ARCURI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, as we approach election day for many local 
and State elections across the country, I want to make certain that the 
issue of campaign finance reform is at the forefront of discussion on 
creating a cleaner and more accessible election system in this country. 
There is no doubt that our democracy here in the United States is the 
greatest in the world, but we need to make sure that we allow access to 
as many qualified citizens as possible to engage in this process.
  Why should a candidate be judged on the quality of a television 
advertisement over the quality of their ideas to fix our Nation's 
economy or improve the flow of traffic through local town squares? 
Candidates should be elected based on merit, not on money.
  In the last decade, an alliance of advocacy groups, the Fair 
Elections Coalitions, has been working to implement a public campaign 
finance system on the State level known as Clean Money, Clean 
Elections. Across the country, candidates have been elected based on 
this system, and I would hope that we can pass legislation here in 
Congress to reform the system fairly across the board.
  As Members of Congress, we need to remember that we serve the people 
of this country based on issues, not dollars, and I would ask that my 
colleagues join me in a push toward campaign finance reform.

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