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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2002

Beating back numerous amendments and rival measures, the House early this morning voted 240 to 189 to pass the Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill.

Debate lasted nearly 17 hours, with GOP leaders early in the day calling it Armageddon. In the end, every Democrat except 12 voted for the bill, which bans unregulated soft money donations, joined by 41 Republicans.

The Senate passed its own version of the bill last fall. There are differences which have to be resolved.

President Bush opposed a late addition to the bill which restricts using soft money to pay off campaign debts. Spokesman Ari Fleischer did not say if this would lead to a veto.

The addition was considered an error by some, drafted by attorneys of the political reform group Common Cause, Roll Call reports today.

Get the Story:
House Passes Campaign Finance Bill (The Washington Post 2/14)
Error Snags Reform (Roll Call 2/14)
House Defeats Finance Reform Challenges (The Washington Post 2/14)
Chris Shays, The GOP's Reluctant Rebel (The Washington Post 2/14)
Roll Call: Campaign Finance Bill (The Washington Post 2/14)
Votes on Amendments to Shays-Meehan (AP 2/14)
240-to-189 Vote Caps Seven-Year Effort to Ban Soft Money (The New York Times 2/14)
Behind the Debate, the Jockeying for Advantage (The New York Times 2/14)
Excerpts From House Debate on the Shays-Meehan Campaign Finance Bill (The New York Times 2/14)
Beyond a Bid to Change Lies an Uncertain Future (The New York Times 2/14)
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