Life After the Campaign Finance Reform Bill
RealAudio: Kwame Holman talks with party leaders and members of Congress to examine the impact of the new campaign finance law. (3/29/02)

Campaign Reform: Signed, Sealed and Sued
Legal experts from the American Civil Liberties Union and NYU discuss the constitutionality of the campaign finance bill, which immediately met with legal challenges upon being signed into law. (3/27/02)

The Political Repercussions of CFR
Mark Shields and David Brooks discuss campaign finance reform, Homeland Security Adviser Tom Ridge and the new military tribunal guidelines. (3/22/02)

Senate Passes Campaign Reform, Sends Bill to President Bush
Update: After nearly six years of on-again off-again debate, a sweeping change to the campaign finance laws is headed to the president. The Senate passed a compromise bill that bans almost all forms of large, unregulated donations to political parties. The final vote was 60 to 40. (3/20/02)

Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) debate the bill's impact and the coming fight in the courts. (3/20/02)

House Approves Sweeping Campaign Reform, Bill Heads to Senate
Following 16 hours of intense debate, the House approved a major overhaul of the campaign finance law.

Supporters of the so-called Shays-Meehan bill called its passage "a death sentence" on large, unregulated donations to political parties. Despite efforts to derail the bill, the House approved the final version of the plan by a 240-to-189 vote. The proposal now moves to the Senate, where a nearly identical bill passed last summer. (2/14/02)

House Considers Major Campaign Reform Bills
Amid contentious debate, the House of Representatives opened debate on potentially sweeping reform to the way candidates fund their campaigns. After rejecting two key alternative versions of campaign finance reform, the House begins consideration of some 20 amendments to the leading plan, the so-called Shays-Meehan bill. (2/13/02)

Modifying the Shays-Meehan Bill
STATUS: Approved 241-190
Backed by the Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and Martin Meehan (D-Mass.), the House approved a modified version of the bill that moves the implementation date of the new rules until after the 2002 election. (2/13/02)

The Ney-Wynn Alternative
STATUS: Rejected 377-53
Sponsored by Republican Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and Democrat Albert Wynn (D-Md.), this substitute proposal resurrects an earlier version of the Shays-Meehan bill. Ney, who actually opposes both versions of Shays-Meehan, said the vote will force campaign finance advocates to vote down stronger restrictions on election spending. Supporters of Shays-Meehan argue the bill is a so-called "poison pill" that will derail a proposal that has already passed the Senate. (2/13/02)

Dick Armey Proposal
STATUS: Rejected 249-179
Republican leaders, recognizing the campaign finance debate was coming to the floor, organized a counter-proposal banning all forms of unregulated donations to political parties, so-called "soft money". The proposal was backed largely by lawmakers opposed to the larger Shays-Meehan bill. (2/13/02)

Assessing the Renewed Reform Debate in the House
Two congressmen discuss the debate over various versions of campaign finance reform legislation as the House prepares for a vote. (2/12/01)

Procedural Fight Delays Campaign Reform Finance Debate
Update: After a rancorous fight over the scope and length of debate, the House voted Thursday to put off consideration of sweeping campaign finance reform. (7/13/01)

Campaign Finance Debate Set in House
Listen to Kwame Holman's report on the eve of the House debate over campaign finance reform.
Then, political journalists David Brooks and E.J. Dionne, Jr. assess the political implications of Thursday's debate. (7/11/01)

Senators McCain and McConnell on Campaign Finance Vote
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) discusses the passage of his campaign finance reform bill. (4/2/01)
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on his opposition to the campaign reform bill. (4/2/01)

Senate Vote on McCain-Feingold

	Yes	No
Republicans	12	38
Democrats	47	3
Total	59	41

Click here for the votes on several of the key amendments offered during Senate debate.

Toward a Vote
Paul Gigot and Tom Oliphant discuss the Senate's debate over McCain-Feingold. (3/30/01)
A report on the final days of Senate debate. (3/30/01)

Crafting Compromise
Kwame Holman reports on the vote on hard money caps. (3/28/01)
David Brooks and Tom Oliphant discuss the continuing finance reform debate. (3/28/01)

From the Floor
Kwame Holman reports on the latest developments in the campaign finance reform fight in the U.S. Senate. (3/27/01)

Debating Reform
Campaign finance reform debate took center stage in the Senate this week. (3/23/01)

Political Wrap
Mark Shields and Paul Gigot discuss two weeks of campaign finance reform debate. (3/23/01)

Assessing McCain-Feingold's Chances
With debate on proposed campaign finance reform continuing in the Senate, David Brooks and Tom Oliphant look at the politics behind the fight. (3/2

A Freewheeling Senate Debate
A report on efforts by Senators McCain and Feingold to guide their bill through the Senate. (3/21/01)

The Debate Opens
Kwame Holman reports on the opening day of Senate debate on the McCain-Feingold bill. (3/19/01)

Newsmaker Interviews with Sen. John McCain
The senator on his goals for this session. (1/09/01)
His warning of "blood on the floor of the Senate" if there is no vote. (8/01/00)

Past Campaign Reform Fights
1999: The Senate kills McCain-Feingold again.
1998: Coverage of Congress' investigation into 1996 campaign fundraising.
1997: The Senate is unable to end debate on the McCain-Feingold proposal.
1996: Congress reopens it efforts to reform the campaign finance system.
1988: A look back at the stormy efforts to reform campaigns in 1988.