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By Gebe Martinez
In a rare show of political survival against all odds, a proposed law banning the "soft money" federal campaign donations that led to the 1996 presidential campaign abuses passed the House Thursday. By a vote of 252-179, the House backed the so-called Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill that had been declared dead many times before, and sent it to the Senate, where its future is uncertain because of that chamber's previous rejections of an almost identical measure. Its emergence from the House proved to be nothing short of a political miracle because House and Senate Republican leaders have tried to kill it many times. Bouyed by its success, bipartisan backers said the House vote will create public pressure and force the Senate to reconsider the measure. The bill has support of 52 senators, but lacks eight votes needed to break a filibuster. "We have sent more than a message to the U.S. Senate. We have said, `You do the right thing, and the heat is going to be on you until that happens,'" said Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich. While the bill had bipartisan support, it was carried by Democrats. The Shays-Meehan bill [H.R. 3526] won with the backing of 190 Democrats, 61 Republicans, and one independent. "It's a bittersweet day for me. I would have liked for Republicans to have championed this bill," said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., one of the chief co-sponsors. After the vote, Shays put his arm around House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R- Ga., and thanked him for allowing the vote to occur. But Gingrich gave in last spring only after parliamentary tricks employed by the Republican leadership failed to stop the bill's momentum. When asked about the bill, Gingrich simply replied: "No comment." But its passage was used as a political weapon at the White House. "The House vote to ban soft money and improve disclosure, in defiance of the Republican leadership, is a rebuke to the cynical view that political reform can never happen. Now only a minority of the United States Senate stands in the way of campaign finance reform becoming the law of the land," President Clinton said in a statement. Grassroots organizations that lobbied for the measure said they would immediately begin urging local activists to pressure GOP senators who have previously blocked the bill from getting a vote in the Senate. Common Cause President Ann McBride said telephone banks would immediately begin targeting two senators who are in tight election contests: Sens. Alfonse D'Amato, R-N.Y., and Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R- Co. Others to be contacted by grassroots campaign reform activists include Indiana Republican Sens. Dan Coats and Richard Lugar; Sen. Christopher S. Bond, R-Mo.; and Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., McBride added. The Shays-Meehan bill was initially approved by the House Monday by a vote of 237-186. But under the rules governing the debate, the proposal could not be declared the winner until the House voted on four other substitute versions and Shays-Meehan proved to be the top vote-getter. Sponsors were emotional after the bill's final passage Thursday afternoon. "You only get an opportunity once in a generation to really make a difference on a major issue that confronts our country. This was a real opportunity," said Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., the bill's other main co- sponsor. Included in the campaign finance reform measure is the elimination of federal and state "soft money" contributions -- which are donations to political parties from corporations, labor unions, individuals or "issue advocacy" groups that ultimately benefit certain candidates. The bill also imposes new campaign reporting requirements on independent groups and political party organizations and sets new restrictions on political advertising that is purchased 60 days before an election. Candidates also would come under more strict and complete finance disclosure rules under the proposed measure. Opponents of the Shays-Meehan bill argued that it is constitutionally flawed and violates the First Amendment right of freedom of speech because of proposed new restrictions on issue advocacy groups. The Senate version of the bill, sponsored by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has twice failed to win enough support to break a GOP-led filibuster. But McCain said earlier this week, after the initial approval of the Shays-Meehan bill, that House adoption of the bill "might change some votes in the Senate." Feingold said Thursday that the House approval "shows the power of the issue of reform as the election approaches, as well as the overwhelming public support for reform. Now it is time for the Senate to do its duty." If Republican leaders continue to refuse reconsideration of campaign finance reform, Democrats in the Senate have left open the possibility of attaching the campaign finance reform measure as an amendment to another bill up for consideration.
© Copyright 1998 LEGI-SLATE News Service
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