Issue Position: Ethics and Campaign Reform

Issue Position

Issue Position: Ethics and Campaign Reform

"Fighting for Ethics Reform"

The scandals involving certain members of Congress, their staffs, and professional lobbyists have confirmed many people's worst fears about politics and government. David Price is seeking to put an end to the abuse of power. He believes that political leaders should reflect the best qualities of the American people, and he has been a staunch supporter of campaign finance reform legislation to curtail the influence of special interests and big money in politics. And thanks to David, candidates must "stand by" their campaign ads so that the voters know who is behind any negative attacks. In addition, he has introduced legislation to guarantee that every voice is heard and every vote is counted on Election Day.

THE PRICE RECORD:

Restoring the Integrity of Congress

Citizens must be confident that their elected officials will adhere to the highest ethical standards , and that government will be accountable, responsive, and effective. Unfortunately, the actions of a few "bad apples" to put special interests and personal gain ahead of their duties have undermined the public's confidence in Congress. In response, David wrote legislation in 2005 that would expose legislative "deals" to public view and institute real lobbying and ethics reform. He also proposed to ban congressional travel involving lobbyists and require Congress to disclose more detail about "earmarked" funds. As the first order of business last January, the new Democratic Congress enacted these proposals and went further with additional legislation later in the year.

Establishing an Independent Ethics Office

David was entrusted to serve on a bipartisan Ethics Task Force that formulated a landmark proposal to create an independent office to investigate ethics violations by members of the House. Previously, the House Ethics Committee retained sole responsibility for investigating unethical behavior, which some had criticized as an ineffective system because it relied upon Members of Congress to investigate their own colleagues. Thanks to the work of David's task force, an independent, outside body of experts will now investigate allegations of misconduct.

Making Candidates "Stand By Their Ads"

If you've seen any political advertising in the past few years, you've probably heard candidates for federal office appear on screen and take responsibility for their advertising. David is responsible for inserting this successful "Stand by Your Ad" provision into the bipartisan campaign finance reform law. All federal candidates must now take responsibility for what they broadcast, and viewers are better informed about the source of the ads they're watching. David has since introduced a follow-up bill expanding "Stand By Your Ad" to cover Internet/email advertising and automated telephone calls from campaigns.

Fighting To Maintain Campaign Finance Reform

When the landmark Campaign Reform Act of 2002 was challenged in court, David led a bipartisan group of House members in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of the legislation. David and his colleagues defended Congress's legitimate role in regulating campaign contributions and establishing ground rules for campaign communications. The Court agreed and upheld the new law against a Republican challenge.

Enhancing Public Financing

David has also introduced a proposal to revamp the public financing system for presidential campaigns, which is simply unable to provide for the expenditures required by a modern-day race for the nation's highest office.

Making Sure Every Vote Counts

Recent elections have demonstrated the importance of every vote. In order to ensure the reliability of the vote counts when the margin of victory is slim, David has introduced legislation giving the states ample time to conduct a full recount of the votes before the next President is officially chosen. His Count Every Vote Act would make certain that election results truly reflect the will of the voters.

Replacing Faulty "Punch Card" Ballots and Ensuring a "Paper Trail"

Observers of the 2000 presidential election know that punch card voting systems are unreliable at best. David introduced the Voting Improvement Act to assist states in replacing punch card voting systems. This measure became law as part of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), as did his proposal for the development of a model election code. Now, as states have installed increasingly high-tech, touch-screen systems, a new danger has arisen: the possibility that machines might malfunction or be tampered with, but no recount would be possible because of the absence of any back-up record. David has cosponsored legislation to require all such machines to produce a "paper trail" t hat would permit recounts.

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