Washington, DC – The executive director of Public Campaign, Nick Nyhart, issued the following statement hailing the reintroduction of H.R.3641, the “Clean Money, Clean Elections” bill by Representative John Tierney (D-MA) on November 21, 2003:

“On behalf of activists across the country working to reduce the role of big money in politics, I want to express my thanks and appreciation to Representative John Tierney, Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), and their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives who have joined them in co-sponsoring the ‘Clean Money, Clean Elections’ Bill. They are champions of democracy.

“As the hundreds of Democratic and Republican legislators elected under Clean Money, Clean Elections systems in Arizona and Maine can testify, full public financing frees public officials from the money chase, encourages more people to run for office, and breaks the corrupting power of wealthy special interests over the electoral process. These systems have been tested in the courts, passed constitutional scrutiny, and enjoy wide public support.

“As elections grow even more expensive and big money contributors write laws for their own benefit, more and more Americans are demanding a real change in our campaign finance system. Representative Tierney’s proposal is a model and a beacon for pro-democracy activists around the country and we look forward to fighting alongside him and his colleagues in making it a reality.”

As of today, H.R.3641 has 29 co-sponsors. The bill was first introduced in the 105th Congress and is modeled on the landmark Clean Money, Clean Elections legislation that is law in five states--Arizona, Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Vermont. Under the system, candidates receive full public financing for their campaigns once they qualify by collecting a set number of small contributions, agree to raise no further private money, and abide by spending limits.

Founded in 1997, Public Campaign is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to sweeping reform that aims to reduce dramatically the influence of special interest money and big contributors on America's elections. Public Campaign is laying the foundation for reform by working with citizen organizations and other groups around the country that are fighting for comprehensive change. We are building a powerful national force for state and federal reform.