Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 28, 1993 TAG: 9301280249
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
CONGRESS GETS ANNUAL CAMPAIGN-REFORM PROD
Every year about this time, the Federal Election Commission sends Congress a list of recommendations to tighten the rules by which congressional and presidential candidates bankroll their campaigns.And every year during the Reagan-Bush era, the recommendations went nowhere because partisan gridlock blocked even technical changes in the law.
But now, with a new president promising to make campaign reform a priority, the FEC - after some spirited internal debate - is hoping that its largest and most comprehensive package of proposals, sent to Capitol Hill this week, will change the law.
"Our objective is to suggest changes in election law which could improve public disclosure, remove unwarranted legal burdens, and strengthen enforcement - all to the ultimate benefit of the voting public," said FEC Chairman Scott E. Thomas.
The recommendations cover provisions administering and enforcing the law, not limits on political action committee donations or public financing of candidates, proposals that have killed recent bills.
Elizabeth Hedlund, who monitors the FEC for the Center for Responsive Politics, said, "On the whole, the FEC this year has gone further than ever to call Congress' attention to some serious problems in the campaign finance system, especially in the soft money and disclosure area."
In a letter accompanying the 63 recommendations, the FEC highlighted several issues it considers significant. But many of the proposals were couched in mild language. Among the proposals:
Soft money - The FEC has long been criticized for failing to stop party committees from raising $100,000 donations for their presidential candidates from corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals who couldn't give that much directly to a nominee.
This year's recommendation, for the first time, asks Congress to cap such donations or ban them entirely in federal election years.
Donor's identity - Press reports showed during last year's presidential primaries that only about one-third of former President George Bush's donors and half of President Clinton's were identifiable by occupation and place of business, as required by law. As a "powerful inducement" to compliance, the FEC recommended that Congress consider prohibiting the receipt of donations until the required contributor information is provided.
The FEC approved the recommendation 4-2, with Republican commissioners Joan Aikens and Lee Ann Elliott opposing it.
Public financing of presidential campaigns - The commission has been sounding the warning - more loudly in recent months - that the fund financed by voluntary $1 checkoffs by taxpayers faces a $100 million shortfall by 1996. A legislative remedy is necessary if Congress wants the fund to survive, the FEC said.
Defining the ban on "personal use" of campaign funds - The FEC has deadlocked 3-3 in some recent cases when asked if candidates can spend campaign funds for living expenses, cars, meals and even mortgage payments. Congress should define what constitutes personal use, the FEC said.