Bob Wise: “I had wanted to talk about reform because this is reform week here. This is when the Republican leadership is to bring…”

“I had wanted to talk about reform because this is reform week here. This is when the Republican leadership is to bring to the floor its campaign finance reform bill. The problem is, this is not campaign reform, it is campaign retreat. What this does is it does not get cash out of politics. It results in cashing in. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to note that this bill that will be brought to the floor, only this week a distinguished West Virginian, Rebecca Cain, the leader, president of the National League of Women Voters, criticized this bill as not being true reform. I think it is important to point out that most Americans, most West Virginians when they talk to me, think the problem is money needs to be taken out of politics, not put into it. Let us look at what this bill, if it passes, would do. It would permit the maximum amount that individuals can give to a candidate to go from $1,000 to $2,500 per election. That does not sound like reform to me. It would permit the cumulative amount that individuals can give to candidates and to political action committees to go from $25,000 to $72,500 per year. Does not sound like reform to me. It would also permit the maximum amount that individuals can give to any one political party, committee, to go from $20,000 to $58,000 per year. Incidentally, that is on top of the $72,500 that is already permitted.”