Rhetoric - Senate E-Filing

= Rhetoric around Senate E-Filing =

Senator John Tester (D-MT)

 * "This is, like, not moving into the 21st century. I mean, this is like farming with a horse and a plow," says Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat. Tester has introduced a bill to change all this and make Senate candidates file electronically, just like other federal candidates do. "We have opportunities to improve the process, and I think it's a no-brainer. We ought to do it," he says. NPR, 4/23/2012 '“ 
 *  In Montana, accountability and transparency are expected from our elected officials and candidates for public office,” Tester said today in a Senate hearing on his measure. “This bill would bring Senate campaign reporting and transparency into the 21st Century. The public expects us to do things that make sense, and this makes sense”  “It is rare that we have an opportunity to both cut spending and improve transparency,” Tester added. “And that’s exactly what my bill will do.” Tester.Senate.Gov, 4/25/2012
 * "Citizens are unable to view Senate candidate campaign finance information for weeks or even months after the data is filed," Tester told the committee. "We expect to know what our elected officials are up to and who they are raising money from." USA Today, 4/25/2012 

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

 * "For transparency's sake, it is time for the Senate to move to a modern system of filing of its campaign finance reports", said Schumer, who chairs the Senate Rules Committee. "This bill would not only save hundreds of thousands of dollars for taxpayers each year, it would also help provide more immediate and complete access to campaign spending reports. The public deserves the utmost transparency when it comes to campaign finances, and the Senate's switch to an e-filing system is long overdue." Huffington Post, 4/25/2012
 * Senator Chuck Schumer, a co-sponsor, explained the bill as a "no-brainer. It should be approved expeditiously to increase disclosure and move the Senate's reporting system into the 21st century." Sunlight Foundation, 2/27/2009.

Sen. Dianne Fienstein (D-CA)

 * "This is a simple, direct bill with respect to transparency. It is an idea whose time has long come. Everybody else does it. So, it is very hard for me to understand who could oppose this and what their reason for opposing it could be...now, is this [paper filing] practical? The answer is no. It is cumbersom. Paper copies of disclosure reports are filed with the Senate Office of Public Records. They scan them. They make an electronic copy and they send the copy to the FEC on a dedicated communications line. The FEC then prints the report and sends it to a vendor in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where the information is keyed in by hand and then transferred back to the FEC databse - at a cost of approximately $250,000 to taxpayers. Now, of course, during this convoluted process there is no transparency. Therefore, the reports are not available for public scrutiny. It's long past time to bring the Senate into the modern era and to recognize that transparency is part of the political process." All American Patriots, Senator Feinstein's effort to pass Senate campaign electronic filing bill blocked for third time, 9/26/2007.

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)

 * We believe there is consensus among our colleagues to move to electronic filing and online disclosure of campaign finance reports," said the letter, which was primarily authored by the political odd couple of Sens. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Russell Feingold (D-Wis). " The next step in this process is Senate Action." Washington Post, Support for Electronic Filing of Senate Candidates' Campaign-Finance Records Gains Momentum, 9/18/2006.

Sen. Thad Chochran (R-MS)

 * Sen. Thad Cochran, the lead Republican co-sponsor, hopes that "the Senate will consider the bill in a timely manner and approve it so that we can begin to operate under a modern filing system." Sunlight Foundation, Senate E-filing bill Reintroduced, Pass S. 482, 2/27/2009
 * "We believe there is consensus among our colleagues to move to electronic filing and online disclosure of campaign finance reports." said the letter, which was primarily authored by the political odd couple of Sens. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Russell Feingold (D-Wis). "The next step in this process is Senate action." Washington Post, Support for Electronic Filing of Senate Candidates' Campaign-Finance Records Gains Momentum, 9/18/2006.

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

 * Ensign added that he consulted with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) before deciding on his strategy, deeming the push for the amendment "something we did together...we discussed it. I felt it was a good idea for me to do it." The Hill, Ensign vows to keep e-filing bill in limbo, 9/28/2007

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

 * One of the most ardent opponents of campaign finance regulation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), once praised disclosure as an alternative to regulation. During the last major fight over regulating money in politics, he asked, "Why would a little disclosure be better than a lot of disclosure?", Washington Post, The Influence Industry: Disclose Act could deter involvement in elections, 5/13/2010.
 * McConnell would not discuss his opposition to the appointment of conferees, or which provisions he was trying to get into, or keep out of, an eventual lobbying bill conference report. His spokesman, Don Stewart, said, "McConnell offered a path to completing action on the e-filing bill, a key transparency reform...Republicans and Democrats have been working together to ensure a bipartisan approach to the lobby reform bill. And he believes that goal will be a reality in the near future," Stewart said. New York Times, Senate Republicans Block Conference on Lobbying Overhaul Legislation, 6/27/2012.