House Approves Campaign Finance Legislation-Aides Republicans/Hurts Dems

[kpete]

Campaign Finance Measure Approved
House Bill Would Cap '527' Donations, Used Largely by Democrats

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 6, 2006; Page A01

The House approved campaign finance legislation last night that would benefit Republicans by placing strict caps on contributions to nonprofit committees that spent heavily in the last election while removing limits on political parties' spending coordinated with candidates.

The bill passed 218 to 209 in a virtual party-line vote.

Lifting party spending limits would aid Republican candidates because the GOP has consistently raised far more money than the Democratic Party. Similarly, barring "527" committees from accepting large unregulated contributions known as "soft money" would disadvantage Democrats, whose candidates received a disproportionate share of the $424 million spent by nonprofit committees in 2003-2004.

The 527 committees, named for a section of the tax law, are tax-exempt organizations that use voter mobilization and issue-based ads to influence federal elections. They grew in importance after the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law barred federal candidates and national parties from accepting unlimited donations from individuals, unions and corporations.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/05/AR2006040501902.html

[rodeodance]

1. well, I assume the Senate has a say in this crap also.