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An unidentified Republican Senator has put a “secret hold” on a campaign finance bill that would require Senate candidates to file designations, statements, and reports in electronic form. The Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act (S. 223) is co-sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and is co-sponsored by 37 other senators, 15 of which are Republicans – including Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa:
“Unfortunately there is a secret hold on the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act, a bill that I not only support, but that I am co-sponsoring. This is a perfect example of why sunshine is the best disinfectant.”
Despite the bipartisan support, an unnamed Republican senator, nicknamed “The Phantom,” has put a “secret hold” on the campaign finance disclosure bill. A secret hold is an arcane Senate rule that gives a single Senator the power to block legislation or a nominee without revealing his or her identity. When asked about the latest use of a secret hold to block the bill, Sen. Grassley, a longtime opponent of secret holds said:
“Transparency of financial disclosures, as well as what an individual might have a hold on, helps bring more confidence in the federal government. If a Senator has the courage to place a hold, they ought to have the courage to let their colleagues and their constituents know who they are and why it’s being done.”On two separate occasions last month, Sen. Feinstein (D-CA), went to the Senate floor to obtain unanimous consent on the piece of legislation, which the Rules Committee approved with no opposition on March 28, 2007. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) issued the first objection “on behalf of a Republican senator,” while Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, issued the second one last week, but neither one of them is naming names..
House campaigns, political parties, Presidential campaigns, and 527s already file their reports online, but the Senate has resisted following suit. Instead, senatorial candidates file paper copies of their reports with the Senate Office of Public Records, which sends them digitally to the Federal Elections Committee. The FEC prints the reports and sends them to a vendor in Fredericksburg, Va., where the information is keyed in by hand, before being rerouted back to the FEC database. Not only are taxpayers footing the $250,000 a year price tag for this process, but voters cannot access on line who has contributed to Senate candidates until a much later date, often times after the election is already over.
On Monday, May 7th, Sen. Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chairman of the Rules and Administration Committee, sent a letter to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) requesting his assistance in removing the secret hold:
Dear Mitch:
I write to ask for your assistance in getting S. 223, the “Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act,” adopted by the Senate. I am willing and eager to work with you and our Senate colleagues to get this legislation passed.
As the Republican Leader and also a member of the Rules Committee, you are well aware of hurdles Senators Feingold and I have faced in having this bill brought up for consideration and passed on the Senate Floor.
To date, the Member or Members on your side who objected to taking up and adopting the bill have not come forward to say why the bill is being held up.
This is a simple, straight-forward bill that brings transparency to campaign report filing procedures. There is no public opposition. Most important, S. 223 has broad bipartisan support — currently, 38 of our colleagues have signed on as cosponsors, including 15 Republicans.
Your press spokesman has suggested that the bill was held up because some members of your party may wish to offer amendments. I am ready to meet with those Senators to discuss their amendments and try to address their concerns.If they insist on remaining anonymous, I would ask you to identify those amendments yourself.
If those amendments, like this bill, have broad bipartisan support and no one opposes them on the merits, we may be able to reach agreement to have them considered.If, on the other hand, they are controversial proposals and would threaten the ultimate enactment of this bill, I would ask that you allow the Rules Committee to consider them in the normal course and permit this bill to go through without amendment.
I look forward to working with you and my Senate colleagues to make S. 223 law.
With warm personal regards,
Dianne Feinstein/Chairman
Meanwhile, Sen. Feingold (D-Wis.) has taken a more aggressive approach in an attempt to unmask The Phantom. Using his P.A.C., the “Progressive Patriot Fund,” Feingold is calling upon voters to contact their Republican Senators and ask them if they’re “holding up my Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act.” Any voter who learns anything that may be useful in identifying the “Hold Senator,” is encouraged to contact Sen. Feingold via email.
Presidential candidates co-sponsoring the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act (S. 223) include Sen. Biden (D-Del.), Sen. Clinton (D-NY), Sen. Obama (D-Ill.), Sen. Dodd (D-Conn.), and Sen. McCain (R-Az.)
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