Christopher Shays: “I rise to discuss one of the key sections of the Shays-Meehan substitute, the soft money provisions relating to national…”

“I rise to discuss one of the key sections of the Shays-Meehan substitute, the soft money provisions relating to national and state parties. The state party provisions contain a section, commonly referred to as the Levin amendment, that I want to take this opportunity to explain. In addition, some who oppose campaign finance reform characterize the Levin amendment as a major loophole in the Shays-Meehan substitute. They are wrong. This discussion is intended to spell out what the Levin amendment does and does not allow. The soft money provisions of the Shays-Meehan bill regarding the national political parties operate in a straight-forward way. The national parties are prohibited entirely from raising or spending any soft money. At the national party level, the ban on soft money is complete. This ban covers not only the national party committees themselves, but also the congressional campaign committees of the national parties. And it covers any officer or agent acting on behalf of the national party committees, as well as any entity that is established, financed, maintained or controlled by a national party committee. The purpose of these provisions is simple: to put the national parties entirely out of the soft money business.”