Ron Kind

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, another day and still no campaign finance reform. As you know, I have been making a statement in the Record every day asking for you to schedule a vote on campaign finance reform. Each day I have tried to point to reasons why we need reform, and examples of the problems that exist in the system. Today I was amazed and amused by three items which jumped out at me in the morning newspaper, each pointed once again for the desperate need for campaign finance reform. The three items brought to our attention today are: the Senate majority dinner, to be held on November 5, where sponsors are asked to raise $100,000 for the Republican Senate majority; a weekend retreat sponsored by the Democratic National Committee this weekend. The retreat costs $50,000 and includes appearances by the President and the Vice President. And, finally, the recent disclosure that the Republican National Committee has spent $800,000 on attack ads in the special congressional election in New York City. Mr. Speaker, it should be obvious. There is too much money in the system, the average citizen is being shut out of the process, and the leadership of this House is unwilling to allow a vote on fixing campaign finance reform. Now is the time for action.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, it has now been over 100 days since the July 4 deadline that President Clinton set for consideration of campaign finance reform. We still have not been given the opportunity to debate any legislation that would change the current campaign finance system. Time is running short as we near the end of our legislative year, it is vital that we take action immediately on campaign finance reform. Today an effort by Democratic Members of the House to force a vote on campaign finance reform failed. This vote occurred during debate of legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Coast Guard, an important bill that deserves our consideration and support. Unfortunately, those in this House, Democrats and Republicans, who support reform have been forced to use parliamentary tricks and delaying tactics in an attempt to force a vote on legislation. Other parliamentary tricks are expected this week. It is sad that we have come to this point. Mr. Speaker, over 300 Members of the House of Representatives have signed on to some piece of legislation to reform the campaign finance system. By failing to even consider this issue on the House floor you are rejecting the will of a majority of the House. More troubling, Mr. Speaker, is the fact that you are rejecting the will of the people of this Nation who want the Congress to fix the broken campaign finance system. The time for action is now.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, today I stood on the steps of the Capitol with my fellow Democratic colleagues urging the leadership in the House and the Senate to allow a fair vote on campaign finance reform. A majority of the U.S. Senate, all the Democrats and a small number of courageous Republicans, have voted in favor of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation. In the House we have not been given the opportunity to vote on any reform bill. After we leave today for the Columbus Day recess, with the leadership's stated desire to adjourn on November 7, we have only 3 weeks remaining in the 1997 legislative session. We must move quickly to take action before we run out of time. I encourage the leadership to give the public what it desperately wants, campaign finance reform. Mr. Speaker, during the next week I will be traveling throughout my district in western Wisconsin. I will have to tell the people I represent that we have failed to even consider any of the campaign finance bills we currently have pending before Congress. I know that the people of western Wisconsin will not accept this answer. The people are tired of Congress unwilling to clean up our own house. Please give us a vote on this issue.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a word of warning to House of Representatives leadership. Yesterday's failure to consider campaign finance reform in the Senate should not be used as an excuse against allowing a vote in this body. I was very disappointed to see that a minority of the Senate was able to block consideration of the McCain-Feingold legislation. It is clear that the will of the majority is being denied by the procedural tricks of the Senate leadership. In the House, the will of the majority is being denied by the refusal of the House leadership to allow a vote. While it may be easy for Members of Congress who oppose reform to point to the failure in the Senate as the excuse for inaction in this House, I will not accept that excuse. I will continue to demand that the House of Representatives be given the opportunity to vote on campaign finance reform.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, on Monday of this week, 81 former Members of Congress, led by former Vice President Walter Mondale and former Senator Nancy Kassebaum-Baker, called on this Congress to ban soft money. They join a growing list of well-respected leaders of this Nation who have said that a ban on soft money is good for this country and good for our democratic process. Among the other leaders who have endorsed a ban are former Presidents George Bush, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. Mr. Speaker, if you have no desire to respect the opinion of the majority of the current Members of Congress, at least listen to these former Members. The former Members who called for the ban receive no political gain from their position. They are a bipartisan group from throughout the Nation. They are the people who understand the issue, know how the process works, and recognize that a ban on soft money makes sense for our country. Mr. Speaker, the list of those who support a soft money ban is only growing. The House leadership is the only road block to taking action on this crucial issue. It is time to allow a vote on campaign finance reform. I will no longer take ``no'' for an answer.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues in the Republican Party have continued to argue that they oppose campaign finance reform because we first need to investigate the abuses by the White House during the last campaign. While I fully support the airing of the abuses that may have taken place in 1996, I do not accept the excuse that we cannot act on changing the system until the Republican investigations are concluded. The reality is that much of the abuses of the system in 1996 were technically legal. Parties are allowed to raise soft money, intended for party building activities, without any limits and with very little accountability. It is the completely legal soft money contributions of hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars that are corrupting the political system. Furthermore, the hearings are not covering every abuse of the current system. One such example is the multibillion-dollar tax break given to the tobacco industry during the balanced budget agreement. In that agreement, the Republican leadership in the House and the Senate inserted a $50 billion tax break for the tobacco industry. Campaign contributions of more than $1.9 million to the Republican Party over the past 18 months, all legal under the current system, bought the tobacco industry a multibillion-dollar tax break. Yet no one is investigating that issue. Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that we vigorously investigate possible violations of the law, by both political parties, during the 1996 election cycle. However, we should not use that as an excuse to delay making real changes to the campaign finance system as soon as possible. The time to act is now, we can no longer accept no as an answer.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, for those who are interested in passing legislation in Congress that will fix the broken campaign finance system, there appears to be good news on the horizon. Last week the U.S. Senate began debate on the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. In this House the future of campaign finance reform is not so clear. The leadership in the House has offered conflicting opinions on whether or not they will allow a debate on this issue. Many Members have been pressuring the House leaders to schedule consideration of any one of the reform bills currently pending in Congress. I have been making a daily statement on the floor of the House demanding a vote on finance reform. It is my hope that these combined efforts, and the pressure being put on Members of Congress by the public, will force the leadership to reconsider their opposition to debate on a bill. However, my greatest fear is not that we won't get a vote, but that we will get a campaign finance reform bill containing a poison pill that will doom the legislation. The Republican leadership would like nothing better than to pass a campaign finance bill containing a poison pill that would force a veto by the President. That way the Republicans get political credit for passing a campaign finance reform bill while knowing full well that the bill will never become law. This works if you are satisfied with the status quo, and many Members of Congress are satisfied with the current system. It got them elected, so why change it to give their opponents a chance to defeat them. That approach may serve the self-interests of the Members of this House, but it would be an injustice to the people we represent. If we are going to actually see real reform, the next few days are crucial. I hope the leadership in the House of Representatives will see the wisdom of cleaning up the political process by passing meaningful campaign finance reform legislation.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, today I want to take a moment to offer my praise and thanks to the Members of the U.S. Senate. Today the Senate began debating campaign finance reform. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott has shown great leadership by bringing a bill sponsored by Senators McCain and Feingold to the floor. Senator Lott knows that the public is eager to have a debate on this issue and should be applauded for responding to the demands of the people. Unfortunately, Speaker Gingrich has chosen not to follow Senator Lott's lead. Today's New York Times headline says it all, ``Gingrich Asserts Campaign Bill, Alive in Senate, Is Dead in House.'' The Speaker has made it clear that the status quo has served his own self interests and he has no desire to fix the worst abuses in the campaign system. The Speaker believes that rather than taking the influence of big money out of politics, we need more money in the system. The people of western Wisconsin do not share this belief. The people of western Wisconsin know that the millions of dollars raised in soft money for both political parties, which is all legal, leaves them out of the process and it must be stopped. The people of western Wisconsin think that the reason they no longer have a voice in the process is because they can't make $1,000 contributions to a candidate for office. Raising the current $2,000 per individual campaign limit is not the answer to getting more real citizens involved in the process, and it only shows how out of touch the Speaker is with the people of this Nation. I hope that the Speaker will reconsider his stated opposition to campaign finance reform. I hope that Speaker Gingrich will follow the lead of Senator Lott and bring a bill to the floor soon. We will no longer take ``no'' for an answer.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, it appears that after a long battle this House may be close to considering campaign finance reform. It is my hope that when we do that we will have a fair, bipartisan bill that contains no poison pills and offers real reform of the system. I have been working with fellow freshman Members to create such a bill. We agreed at the very beginning to put aside any poison pills, items that would automatically put one party at a competitive disadvantage. The result was a bill that bans soft money, increases candidate disclosure, and requires organizations making independent expenditures to reveal who they are and how much money they are spending. It was not an easy process, but we learned to work together and trust each other and in the end drafted a fair bill that will make a real difference in the system. There may be a great temptation to kill a reform bill with partisan amendments. I hope that we can avoid that fate. The only way a campaign finance bill can become law is through bipartisan cooperation. If we can reject poison pills, reject partisan attacks and reject the temptation to pass a bill without teeth, then we can see true campaign finance reform for the first time since the 1970's. Today we are at a crucial time in this debate, I hope we don't blow it.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, we are now in day 83, 83 days after July 4, the day that the President asked this body to enact campaign finance reform. I do not know what we are so concerned about, what we are so afraid of on this side of the congressional House. The Senate is starting to make some movement; I think it is time for us in the House of Representatives to do the same. But I do not want to have a false debate or a false bill come before this floor. I do not want a bill that we are going to sit here and look at that contains a poison pill. A poison pill is something that is going to place one party at a distinct disadvantage of another party. That is why I am proud of the product that I and other Members of the freshman bipartisan task force on finance reform have produced and have introduced. It is a commonsense approach that gets rid of the biggest of the big money, a soft money ban, requires greater identification of groups trying to influence the outcome of elections, requiring greater disclosure of candidates and where the money sources are coming from, but we need to schedule this now: An honest debate, a bill that is receiving bipartisan support, something that us freshmen have produced together, working in a way that can receive support on both sides of the aisle. The time to get to work is now.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, 3 weeks have now passed since the August congressional recess, and still no campaign finance reform. The frustration among Members is growing over the inability of this House to take action on this issue. There is no issue that is demanding more attention this fall, yet we have not found the time to consider any bill in the Government Reform and Oversight Committee or on the floor of the House. On today's calendar we are considering 15 pieces of legislation, including a bill to study the feasibility of changing the U.S. quarter-dollar coin to commemorate all 50 states. While this idea may have some merit, it clearly is not as pressing an issue as campaign finance reform. The trend in this Congress, the last several months, has been to investigate rather than legislate. Today, unfortunately, we have decided to commemorate rather than legislate. Mr. Speaker, I and my constituents are tired of hearing no as an answer. It is time to schedule campaignn finance reform for a vote.

Mr. KIND of Wisconsin

Mr. KIND of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, we only have a few weeks left before we adjourn this year. Now is the time to allow a vote on campaign finance reform legislation. Today we are participating in a civil, bipartisan discussion of reforming the House Ethics Committee. It is refreshing to see respected Members of both parties engage in a dialog about how to improve the ethics process and ultimately restore some respect and dignity to this great institution. I believe the same thing can happen with campaign finance reform. If the Members of this House put aside partisan rhetoric we can fix the current system with honest, bipartisan reforms that puts no party at a disadvantage and restores some faith in this institution. However, we cannot reach a compromise if we don't consider the bills in committee or on the floor. Those of us waging this war are reduced to 1-minute speeches in the morning, parliamentary antics during the day, and floor speeches at night when the rest of this body has gone home. It is unfair and embarrassing that we have to pay these games to be heard in the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker please allow this issue to come to the floor and be given the kind of open, honest debate that this institution deserves.

Mr. KIND of Wisconsin

Mr. KIND of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, today the House of Representatives will adjourn at 4 p.m. without taking a vote on campaign finance reform. We should not be adjourning at this early hour with unfinished business still pending in the House. Mr. Speaker it is time that we stop the delaying tactics and allow a vote on campaign finance reform in the House. We have heard conflicting reports from the leadership of the majority party regarding whether we will be allowed to vote on campaign finance reform this year. The House majority leader opened the door on the possibility that a vote on campaign finance reform would take place this fall, the Senate majority leader has slammed that door shut. It is time that we end the waffling on this issue. It is time that we vote now. Mr. Speaker, I was elected to Congress because my constituents wanted me to work on the pressing issues of our time. They do not accept the fact that this House has never been given an opportunity to vote on campaign finance reform, and if they knew we were adjourning at 4 p.m. without taking action, they would be outraged. It is time to give the House an opportunity to vote on campaign finance reform. If not now, then when?

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, we are now beginning the third week of our final legislative session this year. And still no campaign finance reform vote. We have heard from your office that the House of Representatives will stay in session this evening until final action is taken on the Labor, Health, Human Services and Education appropriations bill. I appreciate the fact that the leadership is willing to do what it takes to get this important piece of legislation passed. I wish we had this kind of commitment to campaign finance reform. Mr. Speaker, I and many of my colleagues are ready to stay in session all night long to debate and vote on the various campaign finance reform proposals currently pending in this Congress. Every day more revelations are being made of abuses in the 1996 election. It is irresponsible for us to continue to investigate the abuses and not offer any legislation that closes the loopholes, strengthens disclosure, or corrects the various problems in the current system. Mr. Speaker, all we want is an opportunity to vote on this issue. Please give us the chance.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, another day and still no campaign finance reform vote. We have now been back in session for a week, we will have at the most 8 weeks left. If we don't begin the process of consideration of these bills then we will run out of time and will have once again let the public down. This does not have to be a partisan issue. Yesterday Members of the Republican party joined Democrats in calling for a vote on campaign reform. There are a number of bipartisan reform bills pending before this House, including H.R. 2183, the Bipartisan Campaign Integrity Act, and the Shays-Meehan bipartisan reform bill, both of which I am a cosponsor. I am confident that we can work together as Republicans and Democrats to make meaningful changes to the system that do not unfairly benefit either political party. Unfortunately, we read today that the Government Reform and Oversight Committee is about to engage in an expensive series of hearings investigating campaign abuses in the 1996 election year. An exhaustive investigation is being conducted on the same issue in the Senate. Rather than hold hearings on campaign finance reform the Government Reform and Oversight Committee is using our taxpayer's time and money to duplicate the Senate hearing. This is unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, it is time for this House to get serious about campaign reform. We can no longer accept ``no'' as an answer.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call upon the leadership in the majority party in this House to schedule what is the most pressing, most important issue that we should be dealing with in the 105th Congress this fall, and that is campaign finance reform. But, we are running out of time. Mr. Speaker, I am a proud member of a bipartisan freshman task force on campaign finance reform. We are six Republicans, six Democrats, freshmen, working together to try to draft what would be a good bipartisan piece of legislation. And we did, Mr. Speaker. It is not the comprehensive reform that I would like to see; it is incremental; it gets the biggest of the big money out of the political system, the soft money ban. Mr. Speaker, all we are asking is just to get it scheduled for a floor debate and for an ultimate vote, but we are running out of time. Next year is another election season. Lord knows we are not going to pass campaign finance reform then. The year after that we are looking at the year 2000 and the Presidential race, and it is going to be tough to do it. Mr. Speaker, it is now or never this fall, and ``no'' is not an acceptable answer. My constituents in western Wisconsin did not send me to this place to accept no as an answer. Even we freshmen realize that the system is broke and that the very survival of this democracy is at stake. Schedule campaign finance reform now.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Just to pick up on a point the gentleman was making a little earlier, is that not really the crux of the issue, and why we are working so hard in the freshman class at least to enact campaign finance reform? It is about the influence of money in the political process, the fact that there is too much in it. All of us Members know what is going on around here. The system stinks. It is run amuck. There is too much money in the political process. Back home in western Wisconsin, the area that I represent, you talk to anyone on the main streets in any of the small towns in western Wisconsin, they all feel the same way, that there is too much money in the political process and it influences what takes place out here, the decision making process, what the agenda is ultimately going to be and the final decisions that are ultimately reached. The gentleman talks about his contributor back in Maine who sent the $20 check with the proviso to not forget about the average person, the common person. Again, that is really at the heart of this issue right now. I have been a proud Member of the bipartisan freshman task force these past 8 months working with my distinguished colleague from Maine. It has not been easy. There has been no issue that has been more frustrating, I think, to work on in this session of Congress than try to enact a piece of finance reform which can receive some bipartisan support. I think the legislation that we are reporting out, that we are offering as a proposed change to what is going on right now, is good. It does take care of a lot of the poison pills that both parties wrestle with, which are basically nonstoppers in this debate and is something that we all hope right now since we put in so much work in a bipartisan fashion that we will at least get a hearing from the House leadership, the majority party, willing to schedule this for the debate and for the vote and the ultimate decision on the House floor, so we have a better understanding who here, what Members in this institution, with the proud history and the proud tradition that the U.S. Congress has, where each individual Member stands on the need to get big money out of the political process. I do not think there is any bigger issue that we should be dealing with in this session of Congress, but I am fearful that time is running out. We have just a very short period of time left in this session, in this year, before we adjourn in the fall. Next year is going to be another political campaign season. Lord knows, it is going to be very difficult to try to enact any type of campaign finance reform at that time, with both parties and individual Members going home to campaign in their respective districts. The year after that, we are already starting to engage in the Presidential race in 2000, so I am not too optimistic that we are going to be able to take this issue on head-on. I think the time is now. The excuses we are hearing daily, but the people back home do not want to hear the excuses anymore. Sure, we can investigate, sure, we can explore these issues of possible violations in the last campaign. As a former prosecutor myself, we hold people responsible when they do violate the rules and do violate the laws, but there is no excuse to wait and postpone what I view as a very important issue in this fall, in this session. I, along with a lot of the other Members, are calling on the majority leadership to give us our day on the House floor. After all, is that not what democracy is all about?

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, another day has gone by and we have not yet voted on campaign finance reform. Today, our schedules have been interrupted several times by procedural votes called in protest over the fact that we haven't had a vote. Our time, really the taxpayer's time, could have been saved if we were simply allowed to vote on campaign finance reform. During debate today we voted for an amendment to increase funding for the We the People Program. It is a program to promote citizenship and knowledge of the U.S. Constitution among our Nation's elementary and secondary school students. The vote on that amendment was adopted overwhelmingly. I wonder what the We the People Program would teach students about the failure of this House to even allow a vote on an issue that the public and a majority of the Members want to see debated and voted on this year. I am embarrassed to go back to the students in my district and tell them that this House does not operate in the manner that our Constitution envisioned. It is obvious that a growing number of Members want a vote on campaign finance reform. I hope that the other Members who share my frustration will begin to make their voices heard on this issue. I ask my colleagues to join me in calling for a campaign finance reform vote before we adjourn this year. Mr. Speaker, the time to act is now, next year will be too late.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, 1 week in our final legislative session has already passed without a vote on campaign finance reform. Members of Congress, as promised, have begun to use parliamentary procedures to slow down the legislative process. This is unfortunate, but inevitable. Frankly, I and many other Members are increasingly frustrated with the fact that no vote has been scheduled on campaign finance reform. A front page article in the Washington Post this Sunday highlighted Senator Mitch McConnell. Senator McConnell's belief is that money represents free speech. While I may disagree with the Senator's views on this issue at least we know where he stands. The vast majority of Members of Congress have not made it clear where they stand on campaign finance reform. They do not have to, because they have not had to express their vote on the floor of the House. The public is demanding action on this issue. Now is the time, Mr. Speaker, to let the public know where their Representative in Congress stands on campaign finance reform. The only way that will happen is through a vote on the floor of the House. As a sponsor of the Bipartisan Campaign Integrity Act I believe this bill offers the best vehicle to fix the current system. There are many other bills that would make the election process work better and encourage more people to vote. At this time a vote on any of these bills is better than the current inaction.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, today we bring to close the first week of our final legislative session this year. It has been a productive week, with the passage of several important appropriations bills. I have been pleased with the tone and demeanor of the bipartisan debate this week. Now is the perfect time to bring a bipartisan campaign finance reform bill to the floor for a vote. In the next several weeks we will have the time and opportunity to vote for campaign finance reform, if the leadership of this Congress is willing to let a bill come forward. There are those who have begun to follow through on their threats to shut down the House and delay the normal work that we must get done before the end of the year. We can avoid all of this if we are given the opportunity to vote on a reform bill. I have been an active member of the Bipartisan Freshman Campaign Finance Reform Task Force, I am an original cosponsor of the Shays-Meehan bill, these two bills offer members the opportunity to let their constituents know where they stand on this issue. There are over 70 campaign finance bills pending this Congress. Not a single campaign finance reform bill has been given a hearing in this Congress. Whether you support or oppose campaign finance reform every Member should be given the opportunity to vote on this issue, and we must do it before the end of the year. I hope that in the next several weeks the leadership of this House will give the Members an opportunity to vote on campaign finance reform. We will have the time to debate and vote on a bill and we have many bills that can be considered. Failure to act now will be a failure to serve the people we represent.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I wish the Record to state that during rollcall vote 364, on H.R. 2159, the foreign operations appropriations bill, I was on the floor of the House, I inserted my voting card into the electronic voting machine and voted for passage of the bill. For some reason my vote was not recorded and therefore I am listed as having not voted. Please let the Record reflect that I was present for the vote, as evidenced by my votes on all of the preceding amendments, and I voted in favor of passage of H.R. 2159, the foreign operations appropriations bill.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, it is now our second day back from the August break. As I stated yesterday, these next 2 months are our last opportunity to pass meaningful campaign finance reform. We all know that next year will be an election year and passage of reform legislation will not only be politically impossible it will be difficult to change the campaign rules in the middle of our own reelection campaigns. In July three former Presidents, George Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald Ford, called for a ban on soft money contributions. The Bipartisan Campaign Integrity Act bans soft money and it enacts more stringent contribution disclosure requirements for candidates and independent groups. Our constituents want us to enact meaningful campaign finance reform, and we are being denied the opportunity to vote on this important issue. Last night Mr. Speaker was a perfect opportunity to begin the debate on campaign finance reform. We finished voting by 6:30 p.m. Every member was present and available to participate in debate and take a vote on finance reform. This morning a subcommittee on the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee met and considered legislation, but not campaign finance reform legislation. Why, Mr. Speaker, have you not scheduled campaign finance reform for a vote? When will the members of Congress get an opportunity to follow the lead of Presidents Bush, Carter, and Ford and vote on an end to soft money?

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, it is very gratifying to be a Member of the 105th Congress which now finds its place in the history books by passing this legislation to balance the Federal budget for the first time since 1969. I am proud to be part of this movement in Government toward responsible fiscal behavior. I am also very pleased that our bottom line is not only a fiscal line but one that accounts for the need to invest in the future. This balanced budget agreement accomplishes some things that have been driving forces for me both politically and personally. It represents good government--one that exercises fiscal responsibility but also spends money appropriately to provide financial incentives to those who can succeed, compassionate assistance for those in need, and basic protections and services as caretakers of our communities and our environment. This country has made remarkable progress in reducing the Federal deficit since 1993. While I was not a Member of Congress when the 1993 budget agreement was passed, it is remembered as a budget that called on everyone across the board to accept spending reductions to achieve deficit reduction. The resulting decline in spending, coupled with a very strong economy, has now made it possible to finish the job and balance the budget perhaps as soon as the next year. The American people will never agree completely on how their Federal tax dollars should be spent. In a democracy, that is to be expected and tolerated. But every American should have confidence that its Government is living within its means and requiring accountability of those investments it chooses to make. Even if those investments are not universally endorsed. Since being elected to Congress, I have voted against what I consider to be wasteful spending. I also fought to include stronger budget enforcement guarantees in this agreement. The agreement contains some basic enforcement language including the continuation of the current caps on ``discretionary spending'' and ``pay go'' rules. These enforcement provisions are a good start but I had hoped they would be much stronger. I am a founding member of the Bipartisan Budget Enforcement Group which proposed legislation to set a strict timetable each year for assessing whether the budget was still on track and require Congress to make necessary changes in spending or taxes if the budget did not remain balanced. Our bill was tough on spending but it also put controls on tax cuts if necessary. This guaranteed that it offended just about everyone and had little chance of becoming law. But my group shined a spotlight on the need for truth in budgeting and served notice to Congress that we are watching. We sent an important message: We will not allow the Government to run on autopilot or break its promises. Promises--that's really the heart of my personal reason for wanting to help a balanced budget become law. My son, Johnny, is my first child. He is 1 year old and he is my daily reminder that our dedication to fulfilling today's promises will have a profound affect on future generations. This budget makes some good investments in people and their livelihoods including: Grants to provide medical coverage for uninsured children; education tax credits/deductions for tuition at institutions of higher education or training; capital gains tax cut; estate tax cut for family-owned farms and businesses; new Medicare coverage for preventive health care; higher tax deduction for health insurance premiums for the self-employed; and increased spending for federal supported job training programs. These are worthwhile investments in the better health and education of our country. I can readily see the difference they will make in the lives of the people of western Wisconsin. This budget also takes a long-term look at how to keep the promise of Medicare for the program's current 37 million seniors as well as the baby boomers when they retire. Initially, the agreement makes changes to the program that extends its solvency for about a decade. But it also establishes the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. This commission must report to Congress by March 1, 1999, on the long-term financial condition of the Medicare trust funds and recommend ways to keep the system solvent through 2030. This is not a matter to be taken lightly from the standpoint of budgetary or health concerns. Medicare has been revolutionary in its effect on the health of the senior population of America. We must not underestimate the peace of mind that guaranteed medical care in the later years of life brings to every American. It is imperative that we make some long-term fixes to protect and maintain Medicare for future generations. We need to balance the budget today and 5 years from now, but we also need the political will to look at the long-term needs of our country's citizens. We have promises to keep to those who went before us and a responsibility to those who will travel the road we pave. The Balanced Budget Agreement is a good first step in fulfilling that promise and I urge my congressional colleagues to continue this effort for the benefit of citizens young and old.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, as we return from the August break, this Congress has one last opportunity to change the current campaign finance system. We have missed earlier opportunities to have a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives for campaign reform. If we fail to act before the House recesses in October we will not see any reform of the current system in the 105th Congress. I urge the leadership of the House of Representatives to allow the Members of Congress an opportunity to vote on campaign finance reform legislation. It is obvious that the current system is broken and needs dramatic change. Too much money is being spent on campaigns. This has prohibited many qualified individuals from running for office, it has created disgust with the democratic process and it has resulted in some of the lowest voter turnout in years. It is our responsibility as elected officials to change the current system. As a freshman member who recently went through my first election I understand the problems in the system. I have been working with some of my freshman colleagues to draft and introduce the Bipartisan Campaign Integrity Act. This act would ban soft money and enact more stringent contribution disclosure requirements for candidates and independent groups. This act would take the biggest money out of elections and begin to restore some credibility to the system. The public is demanding that we enact some form of campaign finance reform. The Bipartisan Campaign Integrity Act was negotiated between Republicans and Democrats and is the proper piece of legislation to be considered. Over the next month and a half we will have plenty of opportunities to move a bill forward, through the committee of jurisdiction and to the floor of the House of Representatives. I will be following the committee and floor schedules closely in order to insure that time is available to consider campaign finance reform legislation before the end of this session. I strongly urge the leadership to take quick action to allow a vote on campaign finance reform. If we fail to act now, we will have missed our best opportunity to bring some respect back to this great institution and restore the public's trust in our democratic process. If we don't act now, next year will be too late.

Mr. KIND

Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, hopefully something good will come out of the investigations that we are seeing on Capitol Hill that will highlight the problem of soft money in the political process. If there was not any soft money in the last election cycle, we would not be having these investigations today focussing on the role of soft money in the campaigns. I think it is vitally important that not only the Members here have the courage to step up and recognize the problem facing the country but people back home start weighing in on this issue and start letting their voices, their concerns be heard on this form of legislation so that we can finally have it up for a debate and a vote in this session.