wfn.org | Religious Leaders: "Pass McCain - Feingold Without Amendment"

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National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Media Contacts:
National Council of Churches, 212-870-2252 (Carol Fouke)
Email: news@ncccusa.org     Web: www.ncccusa.org
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, 202-387-2800 x35 (Alexis Rice or
Evan Mossic)

NCC3/19/01

RELIGIOUS LEADERS URGE SENATE TO PASS MCCAIN-FEINGOLD BILL UNAMENDED
News Conference 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 20
National Council of Churches (Conference Room), 110 Maryland Ave. N.E.,
Washington, D.C.

Broad coalition of clergy will insist that campaign finance reform is
"much more than a political or economic matter."

Washington, D.C. -- In preparation for two weeks of debate on the Bipartisan
Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2001 (S. 27), a coalition of leaders of major
national religious denominations plans to call upon members of Congress to
support reform of current campaign finance laws.

A press conference will be held Tuesday, March 20 at 11:30 a.m. at the
National Council of Churches (Conference Room), 110 Maryland Ave. N.E.,
Washington, D.C., with:

-the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary; National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the USA;
-Mark Pelavin, Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform
Judaism;
-Sister Anne Curtis, RSM, NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby;
-the Rev. Russell Siler, Director, Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs,
and
-the Rev. Dr. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary, Reformed Church
in America.

These representatives are part of Religious Leaders for Campaign Finance
Reform, a group of leaders from more than 20 Christian denominations or
churches and from the Reform Jewish Movement and the Unitarian Universalist
Association.

The coalition specifically endorses the McCain-Feingold bill in the Senate
(S. 27) and the Shays-Meehan Bill in the House (H.R. 380) as the first steps
toward comprehensive reform. The coalition recently distributed a letter to
the Senate from 286 religious leaders-including 86 Lutheran, Methodist,
Episcopal and Roman Catholic Bishops from 44 states, 20 United Church of
Christ Conference Ministers and the President of the Reform Jewish Movement'
s synagogue arm-urging support for the reform of current campaign finance
laws. Insisting that campaign finance reform is "much more than a political
or economic matter," the religious leaders urge members of the Senate to
help society "regain its ethical footing" by setting an example and
supporting meaningful campaign finance reform.

Religious Leaders for Campaign Finance Reform is an active partner of
Americans For Reform, an umbrella coalition of groups supporting the
McCain-Feingold bill. The press conference Tuesday is part of a week of
events in support of the McCain-Feingold legislation.