[Stultis]

Campaign Finance Glance
Associated Press

A look at some provisions in the campaign finance law upheld Wednesday by the Supreme Court.

_Prohibits national political parties from raising unregulated "soft money," including donations of any size from corporations and unions and unlimited contributions from any source.

_Bans the solicitation of soft money by federal candidates and officeholders for federal campaigns.

_Restricts election-time political ads by special-interest groups and others, including a ban on such ads mentioning federal candidates in those candidates' districts in the month before a primary election and within two months of a general election.

[finnman69]

Wednesday, March 27, 2002

WASHINGTON — President Bush signed the campaign finance reform bill into law in the Oval Office Wednesday without fanfare, but opponents of the measures immediately made hay of it by filing suit declaring the bill unconstitutional.

"I believe that this legislation, although far from perfect, will improve the current financing system for federal campaigns," Bush said in a written statement, pointing out several flaws in the bill.

"I believe individual freedom to participate in elections should be expanded, not diminished; and when individual freedoms are restricted, questions arise under the First Amendment. I also have reservations about the constitutionality of the broad ban on issue advertising... I expect that the courts will resolve these legitimate legal questions as appropriate under the law," he said.