Senator Cites ‘Danger’ in PACs, Calls for Limit on Campaign Gifts
Sen. David L. Boren (D-Okla.), citing “increasing danger” to the political process, said Friday that he will press for legal maximums on the amounts of money congressional candidates may accept from political action committees.
Boren said he will offer legislation to limit each House candidate to $100,000 in campaign contributions from the PACs, and Senate candidates to between $175,000 and $750,000, depending on the size of their states.
Boren said he will offer the legislation as an amendment to some other bill, in response to what he called an explosion of PAC influence.
“It’s no wonder that Congress has trouble voting in the national interest when election campaigns are being financed more and more by special interests,” he said.
Boren cited figures showing that 163 members of Congress received half or more of their 1984 campaign funds from PACs, and that the number of such committees had grown from 600 in 1974 to 4,009 last year.
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