Bill Pascrell: “today we will be debating a piece of legislation that could more than any other single act put an end to the troubling…”

“today we will be debating a piece of legislation that could more than any other single act put an end to the troubling cynicism of the American electorate, the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act. In our Nation, the birthplace of modern democracy, our citizens are less likely to vote than any other country in the rest of the industrialized world. While there are other factors that influence this disturbing trend, the perception that our elections are bought and sold rank at the top. The numbers are staggering. In 1998, over $781 million was contributed to us, we, congressional candidates. In the last presidential election, the Clinton and Dole campaigns spent a combined $232 million. What has this got to do with free speech? The time has come to restore some sanity to our electoral process. The leadership of the House is again trying to submarine the Shays- Meehan bill by making several poison pill amendments in order. That is why we must take the courageous decision today, Mr. Speaker, and pass the Shays-Meehan bill.”