Sen. Akaka steps up to the plate and cosponsors Fair Elections Now Act. Thank you, Senator Akaka!

[flpoljunkie]

(There are 160 cosponsors of the Fair Elections Now Act in the House. We need this legislation to get a vote in the 111th Congress. Speaker Pelosi is reported to have promised a vote this session.)

S.752
Title: Fair Elections Now Act
Sponsor: Sen Durbin, Richard (introduced 3/31/2009) Cosponsors (24)
Related Bills: H.R.1826
Latest Major Action: 3/31/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
COSPONSORS(24), BY DATE : (Sort: alphabetical order)

http:thomas.loc.gov Type 'Fair Elections Now Act' in the Search Box.

Sen Specter, Arlen - 3/31/2009
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. - 5/14/2009
Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. - 5/18/2009
Sen Feingold, Russell D. - 7/9/2009
Sen Boxer, Barbara - 9/15/2009
Sen Cantwell, Maria - 1/28/2010
Sen Harkin, Tom - 1/29/2010
Sen Kerry, John F. - 2/1/2010
Sen Bayh, Evan - 3/2/2010
Sen Shaheen, Jeanne - 3/16/2010
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. - 4/12/2010
Sen Menendez, Robert - 4/12/2010
Sen Kaufman, Edward E. - 4/14/2010
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. - 4/15/2010
Sen Carper, Thomas R. - 4/15/2010
Sen Klobuchar, Amy - 4/15/2010
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. - 5/6/2010
Sen Franken, Al - 5/20/2010
Sen Sanders, Bernard - 5/26/2010
Sen Tester, Jon - 5/26/2010
Sen Merkley, Jeff - 6/15/2010
Sen Bennet, Michael F. - 7/21/2010
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. - 8/2/2010
Sen Akaka, Daniel K. - 8/12/2010

[rurallib]

1. can you briefly describe the bill? - link doesn't work

will this do away with all the bad of the privatized system we have now?

[MH1]

3. I second the request - bill titles can be Orwellian, or at best meaningless

as most here already know.

[flpoljunkie]

6. Sorry! Link and summary of Fair Elections Now Act below.

http://thomas.loc.gov

S.752
Title: Fair Elections Now Act
Sponsor: Sen Durbin, Richard (introduced 3/31/2009) Cosponsors (24)
Related Bills: H.R.1826
Latest Major Action: 3/31/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

SUMMARY AS OF:

3/31/2009--Introduced.

Fair Elections Now Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements and benefits of fair elections financing of Senate election campaigns; (2) establishment of a Fair Elections Fund; (3) eligibility for Fund allocations; (4) contribution and expenditure requirements; (5) a public debate requirement; (6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a participating candidate; (7) benefits for participating candidates; (8) matching payments for qualified small dollar contributions; (9) political advertising vouchers; (10) establishment of a Fair Elections Oversight Board; (11) civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements; (12) prohibition of joint fundraising committees with any political committee other than a candidate's authorized committee; and (13) a specified limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates.

Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to: (1) prohibit the preemption of the use of a broadcasting station by a legally qualified House candidate who has purchased and paid for such use; (2) revise Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to revoke licenses for broadcasting stations who fail to provide access to House candidates; and (3) revise the formula for determining reduced broadcast rates for participating candidates in certain circumstances.

Directs the FCC to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish a standardized form to be used by broadcasting stations to record and report the purchase of advertising time by or on behalf of a candidate for nomination for election, or for election, to federal elective office.

Amends FECA to: (1) empower the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a proceeding on certiorari; (2) revise requirements for filing with the FEC by candidates; and (3) reduce from 48 to 24 hours the deadline for electronic filing with the FEC of reports by each political committee of contributions received within 90 days before an election.

[catgirl]

2. Good! n/t

[xchrom]

4. Recommend

[NorthCarolina]

5. If the bill includes ANY meaningful reform, it will go nowhere. eom

[flpoljunkie]

7. That, however, is no reason to give up trying to get it passed.