Last week the House overwhelmingly voted to terminate the House Select Committee on Narcotics. As a former prosecutor, I

My vote to terminate

was on the front lines of the drug war and I can appreciate the work of the Select Committee on Narcotics. this select committee is only a reflection of my desire to trim Congressional spending, not a referendum on the significance of the drug issue or the quality of the select committee's work. I believe we must work within the standing committee system and enhance their effectiveness to deal with these vitally important issues.

reforms.

We must capitalize on our successS and push for further We, as Members of Congress, have the unique opportunity to seize the momentum and work with President Clinton to end government gridlock. We can't keep the status quo with a "business as usual" attitude and expect to successfully meet the challenges ahead of us.

We must give the President a line-item veto over spending and tax bills, like Senator Bradley has proposed. Under current law, the president must veto an entire spending or tax bill, just to eliminate one objectionable item. This is a classic example of Congressional gridlock and inefficiency, and a big reason why The line-item veto will enable the

Americans are angry.

President to spotlight blatant pork-barrel spending and hold Members of Congress accountable for their actions.

Now that we have a Democrat in the White House who is committed to signing a strong campaign finance reform bill, it is imperative that the legislative branch move swiftly to enact a comprehensive bill that strengthens the provisions of the Senate version that was vetoed last year.

For example, President Clinton and Common Cause support limiting individual Political Action Committee contributions to $1,000 for a federal candidate. This is the first step toward eliminating special-interest control over government, and I endorse this proposal. I am proud to say that I did not accept PAC contributions during my campaign, so I know candidates can finance their elections without them.

То encourage qualified, competent people to run for political office, we must enact voluntary spending caps for congressional races. The optional spending limit under the Senate version was $600,000 for House candidates in each two-year election cycle, with no more than $500,000 that could be spent after the primary until the general election. This spending cap reasonable when combined with substantial public campaign resources for congressional races.

is

The

In return for accepting voluntary spending limits, we must establish a system of matching federal funds for candidates. Senate version placed an aggregate cap of $200,000 on the match.

But rather than provide direct campaign subsidies, we can ensure greater accountability by providing vouchers for radio and television advertising. The creative use of the television media during the Presidential campaign demonstrated that the media can be utilized as an educational resource to encourage voter

participation.

I believe we must also establish a threshold for accepting out-of-district and out-of-state campaign contributions. For instance, I would propose that no more than of fifty percent of a candidates' money come from outside the district, with a minimum of eighty percent of campaign contributions coming from the home

state.

We must recall the vision our Founding Fathers had as they drafted the Constitution for a new Nation that both its' population and its' government would adhere to principles of justice and the rule of law. When establishing a two-year term of office for Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the framers envisioned a body that is truly representative and responsive to the populace.

In order to fulfill that vision, we must return to the philosophy of our forefathers who considered politics a shortterm sacrifice for the common good, rather than a life-time Nearly 21 million Americans in 14 states approved ballot

career.

initiatives in November to limit the service of House and Senate

members.
I think we must consider adopting
legislation to broaden
participate in our democracy.

term-limit

the opportunity for all Americans to

house first, I believe we must

particularly those

In cleaning up our own ensure accountability in all our actions dealing with our compensation. Thus, I think we must respect the intent of the 27th Amendment that states "no law, varying the for the services of the senators and

compensation representatives

shall take effect until an election of representatives shall have intervened. " We can accomplish this by simply requiring all Members of Congress to vote up-or-down for any increase in salary, which would not go into effect until after the next election.

If we are going to ask the American people to tighten their belts as we reduce federal spending and cut the deficit, we must lead by example. I am donating my automatic cost-of-living that was enacted without voter approval

increase

non-profit groups in the Fifth District of Massachusetts.

to three

We must heed the call for clean government with as much intensity as our forefathers heeded "the shot that was heard around the world." I am honored to have been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and pledge my cooperation in restoring

the legislative branch to the place of esteem that it deserves and that the American public has a right to expect. We will only fulfill that expectation by passing a strong and effective congressional reform package.

I commend the Members of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress for assuming this challenge.