Lugar supports, Bayh undeclared on bill S.223 and a more transparent government

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Public Citizen recently pushed this to my inbox:

In January 2007, Sen. Russ Feingold introduced the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act—S. 223—to require Senate campaigns to file their campaign finance reports electronically. The bill is supported by both Republicans and Democrats and has a total of 45 co-sponsors.

Currently, Senate reports are filed in paper format, increasing the amount of time for the information to be digitized and made available to the public through the Federal Election Commission’s Web site. Candidates for both the House of Representatives and the presidency file electronically, making the information disclosed in their reports publicly available in a faster, more efficient manner than Senate reports.

Republican John Ensign of Nevada is blocking the bill by adding an amendment to protect senators from external ethics complaints as it would, according to Paul Blumenthal of the Huffington Post, ”impose an unconstitutional burden on charities, religious organizations and other nonprofits by forcing them to disclose their donors when they file ethics complaints against sitting senators.”

They’ve collaborated with a number of other watch dog groups to create www.pass223.com.  So, I took it for a spin to see where Evan and Richard stand on the matter. 

Senator Lugar supports and is one of 45 co-sponsors of the bill. Unfortunately, Senator Bayh has yet to indicate his approval for the measure.

Keep the pressure on Lugar and Bayh to support s.223 and oppose Ensign’s ‘poison pill’ amendment.

So, here’s what you do, from pass223.com:

1. Call Senator Bayh’s office at 202-224-5623
2. Ask to speak to the legislative aide responsible for handling campaign finance legislation, or you can leave a message with the receptionist.
3. Use this suggested script to urge Bayh to figure it out and support the measure: I am calling to ask Senator Bayh to support S. 223, the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act. This straightforward bill will ensure that senators file their campaign finance disclosure reports electronically, just like House members and Presidential candidates.Will Senator Bayh cosponsor or vote in favor of S. 223?
4. Report your response here -> http://www.pass223.com/call/6/#step3

 

Here’s a video from Blumenthal explaining what’s at stake:

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Tags: evan bayh, richard lugar, senate, transparent government