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Sunday, February 17, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

House passes historic finance reform bill

Legislation awaits Senate OK, Bush signature

WASHINGTON -- Voting into the wee hours of the morning, the House last week voted 240-189 for historic reforms in the way money is contributed to congressional political campaigns.

The legislation still must clear the Senate and be signed by President Bush before becoming law, but the House vote was considered a major victory for advocates of campaign finance reform.

Sponsored by Reps. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and Martin Meehan, D-Mass., the House bill would ban unlimited contributions from corporations, unions and wealthy donors to political parties.

These contributions are known as "soft money" because they are donated first to parties that then funnel the cash to candidates. Soft money often pays for political advertisements that attack or promote candidates during a campaign.

Supporters of the bill said it would help clean up corruption in the political process by virtually eliminating the influence of large, unregulated contributions.

Opponents argued the bill would diminish the role of political parties in favor of interest groups. They also charged the measure violates First Amendment safeguards of free speech, an issue expected to emerge in lawsuits critics plan to pursue against the bill.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., voted for the campaign finance reform bill.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., voted against it.

Stimulus sent back to Senate

The House voted 225-199 to pass an economic stimulus plan for the third time after two previous versions died in the Senate.

The latest stimulus proposal also is expected to be rejected by the Senate, which voted earlier this month to extend unemployment benefits by 13 weeks.

The House bill does not require an extension of unemployment benefits, but would make it easier for states to continue aid to the jobless for up to 13 weeks.

The bill also would provide $300 checks to American workers who did not qualify for last year's tax cuts.

Backers of the legislation said it shows the House will not give up on efforts to stimulate a slumping economy.

Critics said the measure shows the House GOP leadership is unwilling to accept a bipartisan economic stimulus package.

Gibbons voted for the economic stimulus. Berkley voted against it.

Senate passes farm bill

Despite opposition from the White House and organizations representing farmers and ranchers, the Senate voted 58-40 to pass a farm bill that would double sums spent on conservation and provide subsidies for grain and cotton growers.

Crafted by Democrats, the Senate bill increases spending on food stamps and includes price supports for milk, honey, wool and lentils. But the bill also would impose strict limits on the payments individual farms can receive.

The Senate bill would cost $46 billion over five years compared to $36 billion in the House bill. House and Senate negotiators will hammer out a compromise in coming weeks.

Supporters of the Senate bill said it would help counter subsidies for European agriculture and provide a safety net for farmers in America.

Opponents like the American Farm Bureau Federation complained that rice and cotton growers would be hurt by the Senate bill's cuts on how much individual farms can receive. The annual cap for individual farms would be lowered from $500,000 to $275,000.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., voted for the farm bill. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., voted against it.

Felon voting rejected

The Senate voted 63-31 to reject an amendment by Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., to make it easier for convicted felons to regain their voting rights.

Nine states impose lifetime voting bans on convicted felons. In 32 states, felons are allowed to vote after serving their sentence and completing parole. The Reid-Specter amendment would have allowed convicted felons to vote in federal elections only.

After paying their debt to society, felons should be allowed to vote again, Reid said.

Critics argued felons are not the type of people who should participate in elections.

Reid voted for the Reid-Specter amendment. Ensign voted against it.

Vote verification denied

The Senate also voted 50-44 to deny an amendment by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., that would have required states to allow voters to verify their votes if they were made in punch-card ballot machines.

Durbin's amendment grew out of the controversy in Florida during the 2000 presidential election when voters said they were confused about whether they voted for Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore or Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan.

Backers of the amendment said it would bolster the integrity of the election process.

Opponents complained the amendment would impose a burdensome mandate on states because nearly one third of Americans use punch-card ballot machines.

Reid voted for the Durbin amendment. Ensign voted against it.