Campaign Finance Groups Praise Rep. Edwards for Cosponsoring Fair Elections Now Act

Campaign Finance Groups Praise Rep. Edwards for Cosponsoring Fair Elections
Now Act

Momentum building for comprehensive legislation in Congress

WASHINGTON, May 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Seven national campaign finance
reform groups, called the Fair Elections Now coalition, issued the following
statement to thank Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) for cosponsoring the Fair
Elections Now Act, H.R. 1826:

"Campaign costs continue to skyrocket, and members of Congress are forced to
spend ever-increasing hours raising money for their re-election. We thank Rep.
Edwards for cosponsoring the Fair Elections Now Act to address this serious
problem.

"Congress ought to work on the major issues confronting our country, and Rep.
Edwards recognizes that when members of Congress are fundraising, they're
distracted from important work on health care, energy policy, and getting the
economy moving again.

"We look forward to working with her to pass this critical legislation."

Under Fair Elections, congressional candidates would have the option to
qualify for a public funding grant and to see their small dollar contributions
matched at a 4 to 1 rate if they agreed to not take contributions larger than
$100 and raised a significant number of donations from their home state.

The coalition backing the measure includes the Brennan Center for Justice,
Change Congress, Common Cause, Democracy Matters, Public Campaign, Public
Citizen, and U.S. PIRG. A broad coalition of civic, online, advocacy, union,
church, environmental, and civil rights groups have endorsed the reform
measure. For more information about the bill and the coalition, visit
www.fairelectionsnow.org.

SOURCE Fair Elections Now Coalition

Adam Green of Change Congress, +1-202-518-1234, Additional press contacts:
http://www.fairelectionsnow.org/press/contact