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The call came in the wake of a press report in which Speaker Hastert revealed he has no plans for early House action on campaign finance reform. The Speaker's comments put him at odds with a solid majority in the House in favor of bipartisan campaign finance reform, according to Common Cause. That majority has increased since the 1998 elections.

According to the January 31 Chicago Sun-Times, Speaker Hastert indicated his intention to put campaign finance reform on the legislative back burner, with Social Security, health care, and tax and spending matters receiving attention first. "You've got to do first things first," Hastert said. None of the issues Hastert cited, however, are expected to be ready for action on the House floor for months, as The Washington Post pointed out in an editorial today, whereas the Shays-Meehan legislation is ready for floor action now. "Delaying action until later this year only serves to run out the clock in the Senate, and to ensure that the current corrupt campaign finance system will continue unabated," McBride wrote. "If that is the case, a deluge of unregulated and undisclosed money will flood the 2000 elections and make the scandals in 1996 and 1998 look like child's play."

Speaker Hastert has stated that any campaign finance reform must have bipartisan support and be fair to both Democrats and Republicans. Reformers note that the Shays-Meehan legislation meets both of these tests. According to Common Cause:

• Shays-Meehan has strong bipartisan support. Shays-Meehan passed the House six months ago on a bipartisan vote of 252-179, with fully one-fourth of the House Republican Conference voting favor. And, 20 freshman House Members signed the Common Cause Public Integrity Pledge to vote for legislation with a real soft money ban like the one found in Shays-Meehan. Among them are Representative Jim DeMint (R-SC), president of the Republican freshman class and Representative Brian Baird (D-WA), president of the Democratic freshman class.

• Shays-Meehan is fair to both parties. At the heart of the bill is a ban on soft money - the unregulated and unlimited contributions to both of the political parties from corporations, labor unions, and wealthy individuals. By banning the soft money raised by both parties, nothing in Shays-Meehan favors Democrats over Republicans or vice versa.

• Shays-Meehan helps ensure that important policy decisions are not unduly influenced by huge special interest contributions. Big soft money contributors are often able to win tax breaks, subsidies and other benefits from the federal government. In fact, many large soft money donors have a stake in major legislative efforts, including the priorities Speaker Hastert has identified such as Social Security reform, health care reform and tax policy.

• Shays-Meehan addresses a problem the American people want solved. Nine out of 10 Americans want fundamental change in the campaign finance system, according to a New York Times poll. While Shays-Meehan does not attempt to be comprehensive, it is the essential first step toward reviving public confidence in Congress and fighting the dangerous cynicism that undermines our democracy.

• Shays-Meehan directly addresses the scandals of recent campaigns. Virtually all of the scandals of the 1996 elections - from the White House coffees, foreign contributions, Lincoln Bedroom overnights, or party campaign ads masquerading as issue ads - are soft money scandals. By banning soft money, Shays-Meehan effectively addresses these scandals.

"The American people don't want more obstruction, more study, or more excuses," McBride wrote. "They want bipartisan action now. The Shays-Meehan bill is not only bipartisan, it is strong, fair, effective and urgently needed."

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