Hill bulletin.

This National Voter will reach your mailbox as the LWVUS Board meets to consider the League's legislative priorities for this 110th Congress. Because The National Voter is published just three times yearly, we strongly urge you to check the League Web site (www.lwv.org; click on "Take Action") periodically for the most current information on priority issues and current action opportunities. We also urge you to sign up for the Grassroots Lobby Corps (see box below).

LOBBYING REFORM AND ETHICS

After hearing from voters in November, Congress is expected to act early this year on lobbying and ethics reform. In order to regain public confidence, Congress must set new contribution and fundraising limits on lobbyists and lobbying firms, and stop the gift, travel and employment inducements that lobbyists and lobbying firms provide to Members of Congress.

The scandals that plagued the 109th Congress demonstrate that the existing congressional ethics process is inadequate. Structural reform that allows outside complaints to be filed and provides for an independent fact-finding process is crucial.

To achieve effective ethics reform, this Congress must establish an independent ethics enforcement entity to oversee and enforce ethics rules and lobbying laws, receive allegations and complaints, conduct investigations and present cases to congressional ethics committees for final disposition.

The key word here is "independent." No matter how well ethics rules are written, they will not be effective without a meaningful enforcement process. Enforcement probably won't be considered until after a bipartisan House panel on ethics reform reports in March.

What You Can Do:

Tell Congress that meaningful reform must include an independent ethics enforcement mechanism.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM 

A voluntary system of public financing and spending limits for all federal elections is requisite to prevent corruption and the appearance of corruption, to give candidates the opportunity to run competitive races, and to stop the escalating money chase that results from unlimited spending in campaigns.

We look for bipartisan legislation for public financing of congressional elections to be presented in this 110th Congress. Such legislation would set limits to campaign contributions by providing a set amount of public funding for all candidates who agree not to take private contributions and thereby remove unlimited special interest dollars from campaigns.

In the 2004 presidential election, the presidential public financing system was in trouble, in large part because there had been no adjustments made to the system since its enactment in 1974. See p. 9 of the June 2004 Voter.

We now face the demise of presidential public financing in 2008. Major party candidates are expected to opt out of the primary and general election public funding systems, and end up spending a combined $1 billion in private funds on their races. When this happens, big-money fundraisers will play a dominant role in the election, with individuals each raising six- and seven-figure total amounts for the candidates.

It may be too late to repair the presidential system for 2008, but it is not too late to reform campaign finance by passing legislation for public funding of all future national elections.

What You Can Do:

Urge your Members of Congress to co-sponsor and support strong legislation for public funding of congressional and presidential elections.

CIVIL LIBERTIES

Since September 11, 2001, the President has claimed and Congress has often provided expanded powers to fight terrorism. Some of the new powers of the executive branch, however, run counter to constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and erode essential checks and balances. It is critical that Congress know of the actions of the executive branch and that the courts be kept apprised of and have the opportunity to review the actions of law enforcement.

During the last Congress, the League lobbied against legislation that expanded and sanctioned the unacceptable practice of domestic surveillance without court orders conducted under the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program. This legislation passed in the House but was not considered in the Senate. It is expected that the debate on domestic surveillance and related civil liberties issues will continue in the 110th Congress.

It is crucial that Congress appropriately fulfill its constitutional role to check the power of the executive branch and secure our civil liberties. See recent Voter articles addressing these concerns: p. 4 of the October 2006 issue and p. 8 of this issue.

What You Can Do:

Tell Congress to exercise its constitutional authority, protect civil liberties and maintain the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches. Remind your members of Congress that we must not become so focused on outside threats that we pass laws that undermine the very freedoms that we seek to protect

DC RIGHTS

The 109th Congress made great progress toward providing citizens of the District of Columbia with voting representation in the House of Representatives. But at the last minute, the House leadership chose not to schedule the vote on H.R. 5388, the DC Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act of 2006, which was headed for a floor vote in the final days before the 109th adjourned.

We urge the new House to pass this bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Tom Davis (R VA) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D DC) without any changes.

The legislation calls for a permanent two-seat expansion to 437--one for DC and one for Utah (entitled to the next seat by population size). In support of this bill's passage, Utah has already passed a fair and balanced redistricting plan. The LWV of Utah worked hard with local Leagues and the LWVUS to contribute to that success. The stage is set.

DC citizens pay U.S. taxes, fight and die for the U.S. during wartime, and are governed by the laws that Congress passes. And, their only voice in Congress is a non-voting delegate in the House. Only Congress can ensure that the democracy we espouse and fight for globally becomes a reality in the nation's capital.

What You Can Do:

Tell your Representative to support the DC Voting Rights Act

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

Global warming is one of the most serious threats to our environment, health and economy. Recent scientific studies show that climate change from global warming is here and is already causing environmental changes with significant economic and social impact.

We can reduce global warming pollution by using existing technologies to make power plants and factories more efficient, make cars go farther on a gallon of gas, and shift to cleaner technologies, such as hybrids, cleanly-produced bio-fuels, and wind and solar power. Cities, states and individuals are already adopting many of these solutions, which also reduce our dependence on oil, reduce air pollution, and protect pristine places from oil drilling and mining. State and local initiatives are proving that answers exist.

To reinforce and expand on those efforts, we need federal action that triggers solutions on a national scale. U.S. businesses can and should lead the world in developing new energy technologies, but most won't without the guidance of mandatory limits. We must address our current dependence on fossil fuels. We need global warming pollution reductions and an energy policy that promotes conservation and the use of clean and efficient sources.

What You Can Do

Educate yourself. Urge Congress to take strong action to control global warming and institute an effective energy policy that will take us off the current path to catastrophic global climate change.

ELECTION REFORM

Election 2006 showed that there is still much work to do to ensure that every voter is able to vote and that every vote counts. In this Congress, we anticipate the introduction of many pieces of legislation; some that could open and others that could close doors to voter participation. We will be taking a close look at these bills and will be ready to move into action as quickly as possible.

One issue that we can expect is a return of legislation related to ID requirements. In 2006, we opposed the "Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006" that would have required photo ID at the polling place and documentary proof of citizenship in the voter registration process. That battle is far from over.

What You Can Do:

Be prepared to respond to action alerts and move quickly to reach your Members of Congress with our message for increased voter participation and better election systems.

HEALTH CARE

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 46.6 million people were without health insurance coverage in 2005. As the cost of health care skyrockets, outpacing the growth of the overall economy, basic health care continues to fall out of reach for more people. It is likely that the 110th Congress will want to address the plight of the uninsured, as well as other health care reform issues. In particular, congressional leaders have indicated that Medicare reform, including the "doughnut" hole in the Medicare prescription drug plan, must be addressed.

Several years ago, the League coordinated citizen education projects and more than 6,500 citizens participated in community dialogues about Medicare reform and health care reform. They said that fairness and responsibility as well as access are important values for any health care system.

The League agrees and believes that a basic level of quality health care at an affordable cost should be made available to all U.S. residents. Furthermore, equitable distribution of services, efficient and economical delivery of care, advancement of medical research and technology, and a reasonable total national expenditure level for health care need to be part of the package.

In 2006, the League opposed S. 1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act (HIMMA). While we appreciated the legislative goal of extending health coverage to more Americans, we were concerned that coverage would come at the expense of critical consumer protections provided in many states.

What You Can Do:

Educate yourself on this issue and urge Congress to start work now on comprehensive health care reform that will provide every U.S. resident a fair, responsible, accessible health care system.

Join the Grassroots Lobby Corps and make a difference! Stay informed and take action with the League on important upcoming battles for responsible federal policy. To sign up to receive action alerts by e-mail go to www.lwv.org and click on "Take Action." It takes just a few minutes a month to make your voice heard.