Feingold, Cochran Introduce Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act Bi-partisan group of Senators cosponsor legislation to improve transparency in the filing of Senate campaign finance reports January 10, 2007 WASHINGTON, DC – Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) have introduced legislation to require electronic disclosure of Senate campaign finance reports. The legislation is identical to legislation that was introduced in both the 108th and 109th Congresses. Senators Cochran and Feingold hope to include this legislation in the comprehensive lobbying and legislative transparency legislation currently being considered by the Senate. “This commonsense bill to make our electoral system more transparent is long overdue,” Feingold said. “The Senate should catch up with the House, the President, and the many Senators who already voluntarily file electronically by passing this reform which has broad bipartisan support.” “This important legislation will require the Senate to operate with the same transparency in campaign filing that the President and Members of the House of Representatives are required to use,” Senator Cochran said. “I hope the Rules Committee will expeditiously consider this bill so that it can be brought before the full Senate for approval.” Currently, political parties, political action committees, Presidential candidates and candidates for the House of Representatives are required to file Federal Election Commission finance reports electronically. Only the Senate has a special exception to this requirement. This legislation will allow the public to quickly and easily access information about contributors to Senate campaigns in the weeks leading up to an election. Senators Cochran and Feingold are joined by Senators Allard, Biden, Boxer, Cornyn, Dorgan, Durbin, Feinstein, Graham, Grassley, Hutchison, Kerry, Landrieu, Lieberman, Lugar, McCain, Murkowski, Obama, Reed, Rockefeller, and Salazar in sponsoring this important legislation.

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