Wellstone for Senate 2002

TELL A FRIEND ABOUT WELLSTONE

	Winning the Fight to Reform Washington
	Printer-Friendly Version (PDF)

"On behalf of Public Citizen's 150,000 members, I would like to thank you for playing a significant role in the passage of meaningful campaign finance reform in the Senate."

--Letter to Paul Wellstone from Joan Claybrook, President of Public Citizen

Wellstone Was An Original Cosponsor Of McCain-Feingold, and was instrumental in its passage.
See details about the final bill's passage...

Wellstone Strengthened McCain-Feingold By Closing A Major Loophole. The Wellstone amendment bans special interest groups from running ads against a candidate for public office within 60 days of the general election or 30 days of a primary election. It passed the U.S. Senate 51-46.

Wellstone Led the Fight to Enact the Senate Gift Ban. Paul Wellstone led a three-year effort to enact the Senate Gift Ban, which has stopped inappropriate gifts for Members of Congress. This new law closed the loophole that allowed Senators to accept unlimited gifts of under $50, including meals, trips, and other gifts from lobbyists. Wellstone's work led to a general prohibition on Senators or their staff accepting gifts. The New York Times said Minnesota has long been the "wellspring" of reform and should be proud of Wellstone's efforts to reform Washington. The editorial said Wellstone was one of the few senators who "deserve credit for shaming their colleagues into relinquishing these corrupting perks."

Wellstone Tightened Lobbying Rules. Paul Wellstone helped pass the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 which tightened rules requiring the disclosure of lobbyist information to the public.

Wellstone Made Congress Live Up to the Laws It Passes. Paul Wellstone helped pass the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, which applied numerous public laws to Congress, including the Fair Labor Standards Act, Civil Rights Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

The "Wellstone Rule" Forces Regular Roll Call Votes. Since arriving in the U.S. Senate, Paul Wellstone has demanded roll-call votes on multi-million dollar appropriations bills to make sure the public knows how their Senator votes on important issues. Now, with each appropriations measure, the "Wellstone Rule" (not an official rule) means that Senators go on record with their votes.

Wellstone Stopped a Major Senate Pay Raise. Paul Wellstone forced a vote that froze a Senate salary increase.

Wellstone Donates His Senate Pay Raise To Charity. Since the Senate passed a raise for themselves over his objections, Paul Wellstone has donated his 1991 Senate pay raise to various causes to combat domestic violence.