5 Break With GOP Over House Campaign Bill

Five House Republican moderates defied their party leaders and joined Democrats in a longshot effort Wednesday to force a speedy vote on campaign finance legislation in both houses of Congress.

The Republican signatures left the bill’s advocates 17 signatures short of the 218 required to force a vote, although some backers of the legislation said they hope to pick up more signers after the Memorial Day recess, which starts Friday.

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) has promised to schedule action by mid-September. Critics argue that this is so late in the session the bill is bound to die in the Senate.

The revolt, the first open break between GOP moderates and Hastert since he took office in January, was led by Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut and joined by Reps. Michael N. Castle of Delaware, Michael P. Forbes of New York, Greg Ganske of Iowa and Constance A. Morella of Maryland.

The bill they are backing, co-sponsored by Shays and Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-Mass.), bans unregulated “soft money” contributions to political parties and congressional leaders’ political action committees, curbs late-campaign issue advertising that targets candidates and otherwise tightens fund-raising rules. It was approved last year by the House only to be blocked in the Senate by a GOP filibuster.