Watchdogs urge swift passage of campaign finance revisions bill

[cal04]

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/94155-watchdogs-urge-swift-passage-of-campaign-finance-bill

Watchdogs are urging swift passage of a bill aimed at blunting the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision after a two-week delay of its rollout.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the bill’s chief author in the House, started circulating a summary of the measure Thursday afternoon and hopes to unveil it formally next week, along with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Senate co-sponsor. Schumer has been trying to convince Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) to sign on as a co-sponsor to make it a bipartisan bill in both chambers. Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) so far is the only Republican to lend his name to the bill.

Sources close to the negotiations say Schumer is close to giving up on finding a Republican and will likely move forward with the measure without one.

(snip)
With the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, other business groups and unions teeing up to take advantage of the high court’s ruling allowing unlimited spending in individual elections, the measure’s supporters say it’s critical that Congress move forward with or without a Senate Republican co-sponsor. They say the House needs to pass the bill by Memorial Day in order for the measure to get the momentum it needs for the Senate to pass it by July 4 so it can have an impact on this year’s elections.

[veganlush]

1. this is huge, everybody

...take a minute this week and call your rep. and senators...