Durbin, Specter introduce new campaign-finance bill

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http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/durbin-specter-introduce-new-campaign-finance-bill-2007-03-20.html

Durbin, Specter introduce new campaign-finance bill
By Elana Schor
March 21, 2007
Two senior senators are pressing ahead with a new plan to allow congressional candidates to forgo private contributions as well.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), yesterday introduced a bill to allocate public money to candidates based on the population of their states, the price of TV ad time in their local media markets and their ability to meet minimum fundraising requirements.

The bill aims to “eliminate the very heavy drain on the time of elected officials as we prepare for reelection campaigns,” Specter said, questioning the position that a judicial precedent exists for prohibiting campaign-finance limits.

The senators’ proposal, which has a House counterpart cosponsored by Reps. John Tierney (D-Mass.), Todd Platts (R-Pa.) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), would also provide additional public dollars for candidates running against wealthy self-funders and facing attacks from 527s and other outside interest groups.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has promised a hearing on the bill in the Rules Committee that she chairs, Durbin said. In the meantime, he said he plans to amass support by discussing the bill’s positive impact on each individual colleague’s situation.

The measure’s main obstacles, Durbin predicted, would be resistance from the TV industry and from incumbents who prefer their built-in fundraising advantage under the current system. “Our analysis shows … have been the cash cow for television interests for too long,” he said.