Jul 24, 2007 -- Reform Groups Urge Members to Support Schiff-Castle Bill Prohibiting Members from Making Payments to Spouses from Campaign Funds and Leadership PACs

Enclosed for your information is a letter reform groups sent today to House members, urging Representatives to support H.R. 2630, legislation introduced by Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Michael Castle (R-DE).

The bill is expected to be considered by the House today and would prohibit candidates and federal officeholders from making compensation payments to their spouses from their campaign committees and leadership PACs.

The reform groups include the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG.

July 23, 2007

Dear Representative,

Our organizations believe that members of Congress should not be making payments for services to their spouses or immediate family members from their campaign committee funds or their leadership PACs.

The organizations include the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG.

Such payments by a Member's campaign committee or leadership PAC to an immediate family member create the potential for campaign finance and ethics abuses by evasion of the prohibition on Members converting their campaign funds to personal use and the House ethics rule limiting the amount of outside earned income Members can receive.

For example, to the extent that payments by a Member's campaign committee or leadership PAC to a spouse become part of the Member's family income, the Member, in essence, is receiving the direct personal financial benefit of campaign funds, and is also receiving the direct personal financial benefit of income that may exceed the House limit on the amount of outside earned income the Member can receive.

Recent published reports indicate that the practice of Members making payments from campaign committees and leadership PACs to immediate family members is widespread in the House.

Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Michael Castle (R-DE) have introduced H.R. 2630 to address this problem. The bill is expected to be considered by the House today.

The legislation would prohibit authorized committees and leadership PACs of a candidate or an individual holding federal office from making compensation payments to the candidate's or individual's spouse and would also require such committees and PACs to disclose such compensation payments made to other immediate family members of the candidate or officeholder.

Our organizations support this important legislation that focuses on an area of demonstrated abuse. While we also believe the prohibition on payments of campaign and leadership PAC funds should cover immediate family members as well as spouses, we strongly urge you to vote for the Schiff-Castle bill when it is considered by the House.

Campaign Legal Center
Common Cause
Democracy 21
League of Women Voters
Public Citizen
U.S. PIRG