[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
[June 16, 1995]
[Pages 900-901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on a
Bipartisan Commission on Political Reform
June 16, 1995

Dear Mr. Speaker:
    I was delighted when you and I agreed to the suggestion of a citizen 
in New Hampshire that we create a bipartisan commission to address the 
issues of political reform. As you stated at the time, this proposal 
offers the best chance in a generation to break through the stalemate 
between the parties that has blocked progress for reform. As you know, 
the citizen stated that this commission should be modeled after the base 
closing commission; I agree. This is an idea with wide appeal: in 
addition to our agreement, this proposal has previously been endorsed by 
Senate Majority Leader Dole, and a similar proposal has been introduced 
by Representatives Maloney, Meehan, Johnson, and others. I am writing to 
set forth my views on the best way to write into legislation the 
agreement we reached in New Hampshire.
    As you know, to succeed, such a panel must be distinguished and 
truly bipartisan; it must have a firm deadline for action; and it must 
have a mechanism for presenting its proposals to the President and the 
Congress in such a way that we will be forced to act on them in a timely 
and comprehensive manner. Several times in recent years, particularly 
thorny issues, including base closings and congressional and judicial 
pay, have been addressed in this fashion.
    First, the commission should be bipartisan in nature. Under this 
model, it would be comprised of eight members, appointed by the 
President in consultation with the leaders of the Congress. The 
President would make two appointments; two would be made in consultation 
with the Speaker of the House; two would be made in consultation with 
the Majority Leader of the Senate; one each would be made in 
consultation with the minority leaders of the House and Senate. No more 
than four commissioners could be members of any one political party. To 
ensure that the commissioners are independent, receive the trust of the 
people, and can take a fresh look at these issues, they should not be 
current Federal officials or Members of Congress, or officers of or 
counsel to the political parties. In this fashion, we have an 
opportunity to achieve consensus and balance that will produce a 
national consensus on reform.
    Second, the commission should be given a firm deadline in which to 
act--by February 1, 1996. These issues, while difficult, are not new, 
and can be fruitfully addressed in that time. The American people want 
to know that we will act during this Congress, and I believe the best 
chance of that is before the electoral season begins in the summer of 
1996. The commission would be charged with considering all the issues of 
political reform, including campaign finance reform and lobby reform. 
Let me be clear: I do not believe that this proposal for establishing a 
commission should deter or detract from the previously scheduled Senate 
action on political reform (S. 101), a measure I strongly support. That 
would be contrary to the purpose of the entire enterprise--making 
progress on reforms

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that are stalled, not to delay action on measure that are moving 
forward. If the Congress has taken final action on any of these matters 
before the commission meets, the panel could choose not to address them 
altogether.
    Third, its recommendations must be dealt with in an expedited and 
comprehensive manner, in the same fashion as the proposals of the base 
closing commission. They would be sent to the President, who would 
reject them or send them on to the Congress in their entirety. They 
should then be considered on the ``fast track''--an up or down vote, 
with no amendments, within 30 days of the submission by the President. 
Only in this way can the American people be assured that narrow 
interests do not pick apart the coherent and comprehensive 
recommendations of the bipartisan commission. (As you know, the 
recommendations of the base closing commission take effect unless they 
are rejected by the Congress, but in this instance I believe it is more 
appropriate to give the Congress the opportunity to vote up or down.)
    Working together to follow up on our New Hampshire agreement, we 
have a rare opportunity for truly bipartisan cooperation on a matter of 
urgent concern to the American people. We have a chance to put aside 
partisan interests to work toward the national interest. I look forward 
to working with you toward this end, and to hearing your views on this 
proposal or others you might have for moving ahead, and I have directed 
my staff to meet with your staff on this matter. If we take these steps, 
we will set in motion a process that could truly transform American 
politics for the better.
    Sincerely,

                                                      William J. Clinton