Kenny Hulshof: “the headlines on Tuesday morning's paper in the city proclaimed: House Votes to Ban Soft Money and Increase Disclosure…”

“the headlines on Tuesday morning's paper in the city proclaimed: House Votes to Ban Soft Money and Increase Disclosure Requirements for Candidates. Guess what? If my colleagues vote for the freshman bill, they will get those same kudos tomorrow morning from the press because our freshman bill does just that. And let me say that I applaud and appreciate all the positive comments that our more senior Members have said here today, somewhat patronizing, I say, but I do appreciate those comments. And to the gentleman from California who talked about the problems in California, I respectfully believe that the freshman bill is a better bill than Shays-Meehan for a couple of reasons: We ban soft money. We prohibit the gentleman from California or any Member of Congress or any candidate for Federal office from raising soft money. We ban the State of California from allowing contributions of soft money to go to them. And yet is it up to us in this body to tell California what it should do? Is it up to those of us in this body to say what the election laws in Maine or Arkansas or in the State of Missouri should be? And for that reason I respectfully say that the Shays-Meehan bill is overreaching. It is fatally flawed in that effort because State parties might want to have and raise resources for get-out-the-vote efforts or for educating voters in the respective States on party platforms.”