    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [March 27, 2002]
    [Pages 503-504]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
    March 27, 2002

        Today I have signed into law H.R. 2356, the ``Bipartisan Campaign
    Reform Act of 2002.'' I believe that this legislation, although far from
    perfect, will improve the current financing system for Federal
    campaigns.
        The bill reforms our system of financing campaigns in several
    important ways. First, it will prevent unions and corporations from
    making unregulated, ``soft'' money contributions--a legislative step for
    which I repeatedly have called. Often, these groups take political
    action without the consent of their members or shareholders, so that the
    influence of these groups on elections does not necessarily comport with
    the actual views of the individuals who comprise these organizations.
    This prohibition will help to right that imbalance. Second, this law
    will raise the decades-old limits on giving imposed on individuals who
    wish to support the candidate of their choice, thereby advancing my
    stated principle that election reform should strengthen the role of
    individual citizens in the political process. Third, this legislation
    creates new disclosure requirements and compels speedier compliance with
    existing ones, which will promote the free and swift flow of information
    to the public regarding the activities of groups and individuals in the
    political process. I long have believed that complete and immediate
    disclosure of the source of campaign contributions is the best way to
    reform campaign finance.
        These provisions of the bill will go a long way toward fixing some
    of the most pressing problems in campaign finance today. They will
    result in an election finance system that encourages greater individual
    participation, and provides the public more accurate and timely
    information, than does the present system. All of the American
    electorate will benefit from these measures to strengthen our democracy.
        However, the bill does have flaws. Certain provisions present
    serious constitutional concerns. In particular, H.R. 2356 goes farther
    than I originally proposed by preventing all individuals, not just
    unions and corporations, from making donations to political parties in
    connection with Federal elections. I believe individual freedom to
    participate in elections should be expanded, not diminished; and when
    individual freedoms are restricted, questions arise under the First
    Amendment. I also have reservations about the constitutionality of the
    broad ban on issue advertising, which restrains the speech of a wide
    variety of groups on issues of public import in the months closest to an
    election. I expect that the courts will resolve these legitimate legal
    questions as appropriate under the law.
        As a policy matter, I would have preferred a bill that included a
    provision to protect union members and shareholders from involuntary
    political activities undertaken by their leadership. Individuals have a
    right not to have their money spent in support of candidates or causes
    with which they disagree, and those rights should be better protected by
    law. I hope that in the future the Congress and I can work together to
    remedy this defect of the current financing structure.
        This legislation is the culmination of more than 6 years of debate
    among a vast array of legislators, citizens, and groups. Accordingly, it
    does not represent the full ideals of any one point of view. But it does
    represent progress in this often-contentious area of public policy
    debate. Taken as a whole, this bill improves the current system of
    financing for Federal campaigns, and therefore I have signed it into
    law.

                                                              George W. Bush

     The White House,

     March 27, 2002.

    [[Page 504]]

     Note: H.R. 2356, approved March 27, was assigned Public Law No. 107-
    155.