Here’s the schedule for the week – a busy, busy week before the July 4th holiday.  Fair Elections/Campaign Finance Why America needs the DISCLOSE Act, by James Moran  Rep. James Moran (D-VA) has an op-ed in the local paper talking about his support for the DISCLOSE Act.  Now is the time to act for Fair Elections, by Bob Edgar  A Letter to the Editor from Common Cause President and CEO Bob Edgar responding to David Broder’s column.   Any hope for DISCLOSE Act?, by Eliza Newlin Carney  Eliza wonders if The DISCLOSE Act has any hope of passage, and goes on to talk about Fair Elections – and its growing support in and out of Congress.

•  “[The Fair Elections Now Act is] a simple bill that bolsters campaigns from the ground up, rather than imposing complex new rules from the top down, could prove less controversial in the long run. Public financing enjoys growing voter support, polls show, and it may be one of the few reforms that would pass muster with the increasingly deregulatory Supreme Court.”

Election clock ticks for campaign finance bill, by Russell Berman It’s going to be a busy, busy week in the U.S. Senate and fitting in Disclose will be tricky.  Rep. Van Hollen: GOP pulling wool over Tea Party’s eyes on campaign finance, by Sam Stein Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) says the GOP is lying to Tea Partiers about DISCLOSE and what the bill does.   Congress U.S. Sen Robert Byrd Dies at 93, by Greg Moore. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) died Monday morning after serving more than 50 years in the United States Senate.    Family ties bind federal lawmakers to lobbyists, by Sharyl Attkisson  CBS News has identified 19 federal lobbyists closely related to members of Congress – fathers, brothers, wives, children.

• “We're allowing family members of senators and congressmen to be employed at very lucrative salaries by the same corporations that have business pending before Congress," said watchdog Craig Holman.

 OCE extends review of fundraising, by Jennifer Yachnin  The Office of Congressional Ethics is extending its review of the members under investigation for fundraising around the Wall Street bill.  Lawmakers fund charities with earmarks, by Matt Kelley Eight lawmakers have used earmarks to fund charities with close personal connections, including U.S. Reps. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Hal Rogers (R-KY).  Other Publicly funded elections starting in Hawaii despite potential legal questions, by Mark Niesse  An AP story on Hawaii’s public financing system kicking into gear. 

• “We're excited people on the Big island will have a chance to interact with candidates who aren't just trying to raise money. They're really pushing their ideas," said Kory Payne, executive director for Voter Owned Hawaii, which pushed for the law.