House Members Set Record for PAC Aid, Lobby Says

House members, showing increased dependence on political action committees, collected a record share of their 1984 reelection campaign money from special interests, a private lobbying group said today.

Common Cause said in a study based on Federal Election Commission records that PACs provided $58 million of the $133.1 million received by incumbents in the 1983-84 election cycle.

This was almost 44% of the total collected by the 408 incumbents, up from 37% in 1981-82 and 34% in 1979-80, when contributions to members from all sources amounted to $71.6 million.

A total of 163 incumbents raised more than half their election war chests from PACs, including 20 of the 27 committee chairmen and the top Democratic and Republican leaders, Common Cause said.

The biggest single chunk--$696,594--went to James R. Jones (D-Okla.) who last year was chairman of the Budget Committee. This broke the previous record of $477,037 set in 1982 by House Republican leader Robert H. Michel of Illinois.

House incumbents last year enjoyed a greater disparity than ever over challengers in PAC receipts, collecting $4.60 for every $1 contributed to challengers, the study said.

Overall, Common Cause said, PACs representing business, labor and ideological interests contributed 37% of the $196.7 million collected by the 802 House candidates last year--up from 32% in 1982.

A similar Common Cause study released last month showed that PACs were responsible for 19% of the $145.8 million raised by incumbents and challengers seeking 33 Senate seats in 1984.