Senators: File Campaign Reports Electronically!
by Amanda Adams*, 3/27/2007
Tomorrow the Senate Rules and Administration Committee will hold a markup hearing on S.223, the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act. As predicted, ranking member Bob Bennett (R-UT) wants to attach an amendment to the bill that would lift the caps on coordinating spending between party committees and individual campaigns. However, proponents including Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) are urging the passage of a clean bill with no amendments. The Campagin Finance Institute is calling it a "poison pill" that could destroy the bill's chances of being approved. This New York Times editorial weighs in on the "reports of behind-the-scenes attempts to weigh the bill down with enough amendments to sink it."
We urge you to support S.223 so that citizens can have access to financial information about Senate candidates, just like all other federal candidates. Any unrelated amendments should be opposed. The Sunlight Foundation has a petition already prepared for you to sign and send to your Senators asking them to support the bill.
Update March 28: Senate Panel Approves Electronic Filing of Campaign Data The Senate Rules Committee approved by voice vote S.223, with an amendment passing that would make January 1, 2008 the date of enactment. Senator Bob Bob Bennett (R-UT) withdrew his planned amendment.
