Campaign Finance Reform Passed in Congress Today, Carper Helps Push Reform Through Senate: President Bush is Expected to Sign the Historic Bill into Law

WASHINGTON, DC – Years of debate on campaign finance reform will culminate on the Senate floor this afternoon, when Senators are expected to pass the Campaign Finance Act. The Senate will be ratifying the exact resolution that passed the House of Representatives last month. The bill will be sent to President Bush, who has indicated that he will sign the historic legislation into law. “I have been and remain a strong supporter of campaign finance reform,” Carper said. “Our campaign finance reform system is broken and needs to be fixed or our citizens’ faith in the political process will continue to erode.” The Campaign Finance Act is modeled after the McCain-Feingold bill debated in the Senate earlier this year. It is the most significant change in campaign finance law since 1974, when the campaign finance system was created in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The legislation bans soft money, regulates issue ads by increasing disclosure requirements and raises the limit on the amount of hard money individuals can contribute. Satellite Feed: 4:20-4:25 p.m. TODAY Coordinates: Galaxy 3 Transponder 7 Downlink 3840 C-Band, Standard Audio