Ken Calvert: “Mr. Chairman, in the 103d Congress I served on the House Republican Campaign Finance Task Force. As a member of that…”

“Mr. Chairman, in the 103d Congress I served on the House Republican Campaign Finance Task Force. As a member of that task force, I pressed for language to require that candidates receive half of the campaign funds from people they are seeking to represent. My amendment today would require candidates to adhere to this 50 percent rule. The public's perception is that elected officials are beholden to the special interests that they believe finance the campaigns. As long as the public has this perception, it is important that every person running for public office restores confidence in our system. By requiring all candidates for office in the House of Representatives and the Senate to raise at least half of their campaign funds from individuals in the districts they represent, my amendment goes a long way toward restoring the people's trust. The amendment is simple and straightforward. On the first report to the Federal Election Commission after an election, candidates would have to show that they raised a majority of funds for that election from individuals within their own district for House candidates or within the State for senatorial candidates.”