UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES SENATE ELEY NINETY-SIXTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION TO AMEND THE FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN ACT OF 1971, AS AMENDED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES JULY 13, 1979 Printed for the use of the 49-780 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1979 Opening statement of Hon. Claiborne Pell, chairman of the Committee on Robert O. Tiernan, chairman, Federal Election Commission; accom- panied by Max Friedersdorf, vice chairman; Orlando B. Potter, staff director; and William C. Oldaker, general counsel _ _ _ Panel consisting of Morley Winograd, president, Association of State Democratic Chairpersons; Fred Wertheimer, senior vice president, Common Cause; and Russell D. Hemenway, national director, Na- Federal Election Commission (with an attachment) - Daniel J. Swillinger, chairman of the Legislative Subcommittee of the Political Campaign and Election Law Committee of the Federal Mary Meehan, treasurer, Committee for a Constitutional Presidency. Written responses of the Federal Election Commission to questions pro- Senator Pell.. 144 Hon. Ed Bethune, a U.S. Representative from the State of Arkansas, enclosing a letter from the Secretary of the State of Arkansas- Hon. Burt L. Talcott, a former U.S. Representative from the State of California, and presently with Louis C. Kramp and Associates, Summary.. "Decontrol of Campaigns," from the Washington Post, July 23, 1979. 165 FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN ACT AMENDMENTS, 1979 FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1979 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON RULES AND ADMINISTRATION, Washington, D.C. The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a.m., in room 301, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Claiborne Pell (chairman), presiding. Present: Senators Pell, Cannon, Hatfield, and Schweiker. Staff present: William M. Cochrane, staff director; Chester H. Smith, chief counsel; Thomas K. Decker, minority staff director; Raymond N. Nelson, professional staff member; John K. Swearingen, director, technical services; Winfield Major, counsel (elections); Jack L. Sapp, professional staff member; Donald F. Massey, minority counsel; Elaine W. Milliken, minority counsel (elections); John L. Sousa, counsel (elections); Peggy L. Parrish, chief clerk; and Paul E. Goulding, professional staff member. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. CLAIBORNE PELL, CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON RULES AND ADMINISTRATION The CHAIRMAN. The Committee on Rules and Administration will come to order. Today we are going to conduct hearings on long-overdue amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act. We also have a certain amount of committee business to do as well, so we hope the hearing can move as expeditiously as possible. The basis for the committee's consideration is a bill from the 95th Congress, S. 926, which passed the Senate by a vote of 88 to 1 on August 3, 1977. Although this legislation was not enacted because of complications on the House side, the bill contained many important provisions which have received strong bipartisan support as necessary revisions to the Campaign Act. The committee has also included in its working draft some of the legislative recommendations of the Federal Election Commission. The Commission's experience with the act over the past 4 years has provided valuable suggestions for simplifying the act's reporting requirements and improving its administration. Although the Commission has been subject to criticism recently because of problems encountered in administering the Federal Election Campaign Act, some of that criticism can legitimately be directed at the Congress which enacted this exceedingly complicated statute. It is my hope that today's hearing will launch the Congress on a construc |