[WhiteGuy]

I'm glad this bill was done, even if it -was- a pandering distraction

Oh, no question.

The time and place for this type of legislation, if brought forward by an honest and sincere body of representatives, is certainly not during "wartime" and during "an election year"

cynical?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Election year is every other year.

So you either have newly elected (or reelected) legislators passing this in which case you would undoubtedly whine about how they were just paying back special interest groups or during an election year in which case you whine about pandering for votes.