Lois Capps: “I am a cosponsor of the act to repeal the telephone excise tax, but I am rising now in support of the motion of the…”

“I am a cosponsor of the act to repeal the telephone excise tax, but I am rising now in support of the motion of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett) to recommit, because we need to make the public aware of section 527. So-called 527 groups are tax-exempt, political organizations that try to influence elections. They can spend millions of dollars on negative ads, direct-mail campaigns, and phone banks. Not too long ago, I had never even heard of section 527s of the IRS code. Now, our constituents face the possibility of a negative ad campaign streaming into their homes paid for by undisclosed, far-off donors, distorting their elections. Mr. Speaker, 527s pose a great threat to our current democratic process. Unfortunately, the House leadership will not give us a vote on this important issue, so voters do not know who is behind the 30 second TV ads trashing their candidates. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this motion to recommit so that we can make the public aware of section 527s and the damage that they are doing to our current political system.”