S.R. 2

1

RESOLUTION URGING REFORM OF FEDERAL
2 CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS
3 1998 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Sponsor: Scott N. Howell
6 A RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE URGING CONGRESS TO ACT QUICKLY TO PASS
7 S.25, WHICH PROVIDES FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE REFORM OF CURRENT
8 FEDERAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS.
9 Be it resolved by the Senate of the state of Utah:
10 WHEREAS the 1996 presidential and congressional elections witnessed the collection and
11 spending of record amounts of money, much of it from so-called "special interest" groups seeking
12 influence;
13 WHEREAS both major political parties used questionable fund-raising methods to
14 accumulate millions of dollars in "soft money" that is supposed to be for party-building activities,
15 but was actually funneled to state parties to help candidates;
16 WHEREAS the perceived inability of the current federal law to stop certain kinds of
17 donations and donations from certain sources has sparked calls for congressional investigations
18 of the practices of both major political parties;
19 WHEREAS this perception has also added to the cynicism of the electorate, many of whom
20 believe that Congress is for sale to the richest special interest groups and largest contributors, thus
21 undermining the faith of the American people in their electoral system;
22 WHEREAS Senators John McCain, a Republican, and Russell Feingold, a Democrat, have
23 introduced S.25 because they believe that the time has come for a comprehensive and bipartisan
24 review of current federal campaign finance laws;
25 WHEREAS among other things, the bill bans contributions of "soft money" and prohibits
26 contributions from political action committees and from noncitizens living in the United States;
27 WHEREAS S.25 establishes a system of voluntary spending limits and benefits for Senate

1 candidates, whereby they must agree to limit overall campaign spending and personal spending
2 on a campaign in exchange for a discount on postal rates, plus up to 30 minutes of free television
3 time and a 50% discount on all other purchased advertising time;
4 WHEREAS President Clinton has indicated his willingness to work with Congress to arrive
5 at a solution to this issue;
6 WHEREAS Senators McCain and Feingold believe that, given the support of the President,
7 the current spirit of bipartisan cooperation in Congress and the dismay of the electorate with the
8 current system of campaign finance, there is a unique opportunity to provide meaningful campaign
9 finance reform; and
10 WHEREAS it is fitting and proper that the Utah Senate support the passage by Congress
11 of S.25 and welcomes comprehensive federal campaign finance reform:
12 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the state of Utah urge
13 Congress to act quickly to pass S.25, which provides for the comprehensive reform of current
14 federal campaign finance laws.
15 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to President Clinton,
16 the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of
17 Representatives, and the members of Utah's congressional delegation.




Legislative Review Note
as of 10-28-97 11:02 AM

A limited legal review of this bill raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel

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