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| At Work in Congress |
| Campaign Finance Reform: |
I have long supported comprehensive campaign finance reform
to take special interest dollars out of this political system. I have demonstrated
my commitment to campaign finance reform in my Senate races - where I have
always refused to take PAC money, and in my legislative priorities in the
Senate - where I have consistently cosponsored the McCain/Feingold campaign
finance reform bill. I have also cosponsored more sweeping reform measures,
including Clean Money legislation that would, like the Clean Elections
Law approved by Massachusetts voters in 1998, provide candidates with an
alternative to the current system of raising and spending private money
to finance congressional campaigns, instead giving them the chance to pay
for their expenditures with grants from a campaign trust fund.
Senator Kerry has been a long-time supporter of comprehensive campaign
finance reform. In the Senate, Senator Kerry has consistently been an original
cosponsor of the McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform bill. Last year,
he played a key role in the campaign finance reform debate by offering
two amendments to the bill.
The first amendment would have created a new campaign finance system
that would have provided partial public funding to candidates who agreed
to abide by a spending limit for their campaigns. Unfortunately, this
amendment was defeated on the Senate floor. Senator Kerry also offered
an amendment that was ultimately included in the McCain/Feingold bill,
that requires a study of the impact of public funding in states where
it has been used.
Senator Kerry has also sponsored more sweeping campaign finance reform measures,
including Clean Money legislation that would, like the Clean Elections Law approved
by Massachusetts voters in 1998, provide candidates with an alternative to the
current system of raising and spending private money to finance congressional
campaigns, instead giving them the chance to pay for their expenditures with
grants from a campaign trust fund.
On the issue of Election reform, Senator Kerry has also been an original cosponsor
of the leading legislation that would improve voting systems throughout the country.
Such reform is vitally necessary after the problems that came to light in Florida
after the 2000 presidential election. In addition, Senator Kerry has offered
legislation that would make Election Day a half-day national holiday for the
next two election cycles. The bill, which recognizes that many people are unable
to take time off of work to stand in long lines in order to vote, is an effort
to improve voter turnout. The bill would require a study to determine if turnout
increased as a result of the half-day holiday.
Senator Kerry has been a long-time supporter of comprehensive campaign finance
reform. In the Senate, Senator Kerry has consistently been an original cosponsor
of the McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform bill. Last year, he played a key
role in the campaign finance reform debate by offering two amendments to the
bill.
The first amendment would have created a new campaign finance system that would
have provided partial public funding to candidates who agreed to abide by a spending
limit for their campaigns. Unfortunately, this amendment was defeated on the
Senate floor. Senator Kerry also offered an amendment that was ultimately included
in the McCain/Feingold bill, that requires a study of the impact of public funding
in states where it has been used.
Senator Kerry has also sponsored more sweeping campaign finance reform measures,
including Clean Money legislation that would, like the Clean Elections Law approved
by Massachusetts voters in 1998, provide candidates with an alternative to the
current system of raising and spending private money to finance congressional
campaigns, instead giving them the chance to pay for their expenditures with
grants from a campaign trust fund.
On the issue of Election reform, Senator Kerry has also been an original cosponsor
of the leading legislation that would improve voting systems throughout the country.
Such reform is vitally necessary after the problems that came to light in Florida
after the 2000 presidential election. In addition, Senator Kerry has offered
legislation that would make Election Day a half-day national holiday for the
next two election cycles. The bill, which recognizes that many people are unable
to take time off of work to stand in long lines in order to vote, is an effort
to improve voter turnout. The bill would require a study to determine if turnout
increased as a result of the half-day holiday.
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