Rick Lazio on Government Reform
Rejects use of soft money
LAZIO: We have rejected the use of soft money in this campaign. My campaign has neither raised nor spent a dollar of soft money, which is a very different experience from my opponent. We could have easily decided to go down that road of trying to raise a
lot of money in very large denominations, but decided against it. If you look at the average donation that I receive, it’s like less than $100.CLINTON: He received a million dollars in contributions from the home-building industry.
Source: NY Senate debate on NBC
Oct 28, 2000
Average donation is under $100
Q: Campaign finance. Mr. Lazio, you’ve taken contributions from the housing industry, and you serve on a committee that regulates housing.LAZIO: If you look at the average donation that I receive, it’s like less than $100. In the House, of course I’ve
been very active on housing issues.
Q: But have you gotten heavy contributions from the housing industry?
LAZIO: We’ve gotten contributions from a whole range of people with different interests that are important to the quality of life of New Yorkers
CLINTON: He received a million dollars in contributions from the home-building industry and from the manufacturers of homes. And in return, at least there is an appearance that he did several things. He fought to weaken the safety standards for
manufactured housing and in-home building.
LAZIO: That’s absolutely false. And you know it, Mrs. Clinton.
CLINTON: Well, Mr. Lazio, you just referred to The Daily News, which ran an investigative article which made exactly that point.
Source: NY Senate debate on NBC
Oct 28, 2000
Public financing of elections is welfare for politicians
Q: Do you support campaign finance reform? LAZIO: I voted for campaign finance reform. I have run this campaign abiding by McCain-Feingold. We have not raised a dime of soft money. I do not agree with public financing because the voters should decide
who is elected. We should not have welfare for politicians.
CLINTON: I think we need to change the system of campaign financing. I just have to remark that Mr. Lazio’s campaign violated the very simple agreement that we entered. Last month,
Mr. Lazio said that this was an issue of trust and character. If New Yorkers can’t trust him to keep his word for 10 days, how can they trust him for six years on issues like Social Security, Medicare, prescription drugs and education?
LAZIO: Mrs.
Clinton, no lectures from Motel 1600 on campaign finance reform. I took a legitimate contribution of clean hard money. My opponent objected. Because I have a commitment to campaign finance reform and to this agreement, I refunded the money.
Source: Senate debate in Manhattan
Oct 8, 2000
Demands Hillary sign “Freedom from Soft Money Pact”
LAZIO: I have right here a pledge that I sent over to my opponent. It’s a ban on soft money pledge. I’m willing to say we will neither raise nor spend a dime of soft money and ask all outside groups to stay away if my opponent is willing to do the same.
CLINTON: In May I made exactly that offer. I said, “Let’s forego soft money, but let’s also be sure we don’t have these independent expenditures.” If you will get signed agreements from all your friends and will not be running so-called independent
ads, will not be doing push polling, will not be doing mass mailings with outrageous personal attacks, I think we can have an agreement.
LAZIO: I’d be happy to get signed agreements, but I want to get it done right now. I don’t want any more wiggle
room. Here it is. Let’s sign it. It’s the New York Freedom from Soft Money Pact.
CLINTON: Well, I would be happy to when you give me the signed letters.
LAZIO: Sign it right now.
CLINTON: We’ll shake on it.
LAZIO: No, I want your signature.
Source: Clinton-Lazio debate, Buffalo NY
Sep 13, 2000
Fully fund the National Endowment for the Arts
On Arts. Lazio was one of only 15 Republicans who bucked the party leadership and voted for full funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Source: David Rosenbaum, New York Times
Jun 4, 2000
Ban soft money & issue ads
On Campaign finance. Lazio has voted for legislation that would ban donations of largely unregulated soft money to political parties and restrict the ability of parties to run issue advertisements on behalf of candidates.
Source: David Rosenbaum, New York Times
Jun 4, 2000
Supported a Term Limits constitutional amendment
On Term limits. Lazio supported a constitutional amendment that would have placed a 12-year limit on the terms of senators and representatives.
Source: David Rosenbaum, New York Times
Jun 4, 2000
No soft money; yes full campaign disclosure
Lazio supports the following principles regarding Campaign Finance Reform:- Strengthen and enforce legislation that encourages full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information.
- Ban the unregulated
campaign contributions known as soft money.
- Prohibit non-U.S. citizens from making contributions to federal campaigns.
Source: National Political Awareness Test 1998 (vote-smart.org)
Jul 2, 1998
Term limits: 12 years for Senate & House
Lazio supports terms limits of two 6-year terms for Senators, and six 2-year terms for Representatives.
Source: National Political Awareness Test 1998 (vote-smart.org)
Jul 2, 1998
Voted YES on banning soft money and issue ads.
Campaign Finance Reform Act to ban "soft money" and impose restrictions on issue advocacy campaigning.
Reference: Bill sponsored by Shays, R-CT;
Bill HR 417
; vote number 1999-422
on Sep 14, 1999
Limit punitive damages; term limits on Congress.
Lazio signed the Contract with America:
[As part of the Contract with America, within 100 days we pledge to bring to the House Floor the following bills]:
The Common Sense Legal Reforms Act:
“Loser pays” laws, reasonable limits on punitive damages, and reform of product liability laws to stem the endless tide of litigation.
The Citizen Legislature Act:A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators.
Source: Contract with America 93-CWA11 on Sep 27, 1994
Government is too big, too intrusive, too easy with money.
Lazio signed the Contract with America:
This year’s election offers the chance, after four decades of one-party control, to bring to the House a new majority that will transform the way Congress works. That historic change would be the end of government that is too big, too intrusive, and too easy with the public’s money. It can be the beginning of a Congress that respects the values and shares the faith of the American family.
Like Lincoln, our first Republican president, we intend to act “with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right.” To restore accountability to Congress. To end its cycle of scandal and disgrace. To make us all proud again of the way free people govern themselves.
On the first day of the 104th Congress, the new Republican majority will immediately pass the following major reforms, aimed at restoring the faith and trust of the American people in their government:
- Require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
- Select a major independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud, and abuse;
- Cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
- Limit the terms of all committee chairs;
- Ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
- Require committee meetings to be open to the public;
- Require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase
- Guarantee an honest accounting of our federal budget by implementing zero baseline budgeting.
Source: Contract with America 93-CWA2 on Sep 27, 1994