Russ Feingold: “today I will once again introduce with the Senator from Arizona, Mr. McCain, a bill to bring Senate campaigns into the…”

“today I will once again introduce with the Senator from Arizona, Mr. McCain, a bill to bring Senate campaigns into the 21st century by requiring that Senate candidates file their campaign finance disclosure reports electronically and that those reports be promptly made available to the public. We are very pleased to be joined in our effort in this Congress by the distinguished senior Senator from Mississippi, Mr. Cochran. This step is long overdue, and I hope the Senate will act quickly on this legislation. A series of reports by the Campaign Finance Institute have highlighted the anomaly in the election laws that makes it nearly impossible for the public to get access to Senate campaign finance reports while most other reports are available on the Internet within 24 hours of their filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The Campaign Finance Institute asks a rhetorical question: ``What makes the Senate so special that it exempts itself from a key requirement of campaign finance disclosure that applies to everyone else, including candidates for the House of Representatives and Political Action Committees?'' The answer, of course, is nothing. The United States Senate is special in many ways. I am proud to serve here. But there is no justification for not making our campaign finance information as readily accessible to the public as the information filed by House candidates or others.…”