Soft money was the source of the most egregious abuses in the 1996 cycle. The White House coffees, Lincoln Bedroom sleep-overs, and the fundraiser at the Buddhist Temple were all part of the frenetic effort to fill the Democratic National Committee coffers with soft money. Another provision in the Shays-Meehan proposal improves disclosure of campaign fundraising and strengthens the FEC's enforcement ability. Sunshine is a wonderfully effective disinfectant and this bill makes sure the sun shines brightly on contributions. All FEC reports would have to be filed electronically and posted on the Internet so the information is quickly and readily accessible to the public.
Additional provisions deal with other abuses and problems.
It codifies the Supreme Court ruling that union members cannot be forced to pay for union political activities. The bill protects the important election activities of grass roots groups. Specifically, Shays-Meehan protects voter guides ensuring that the publishing record of only one candidate is sufficient, that the sponsor can state its agreement or disagreement with the position of the candidate, and that distributing and collecting questions from candidates for the purpose of preparing voter guides is not coordinated campaign activity. The bill also exempts communications posted on the Internet from the bill's campaign restrictions on express advocacy. This means that the Christian Coalition, National Right to Life, Farm Bureau, AFL-CIO, and other groups can continue to publish their voter guides and reports to educate their members.