COMMON CAUSE PLANS LOBBY

Common Cause, an organization of citizen activists, Wednesday will lobby in front of U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson's office in Cape Girardeau.

The local effort is part of a national effort Wednesday, which has been dubbed "Clean Up Washington Day."

Citizens from 10-11 a.m. will distribute flyers calling on members of Congress to work for quick passage of a campaign finance-reform bill aimed at reducing the power of special-interest money in Washington.

More than 400 national, state and local citizen organizations have endorsed the essential elements of campaign finance reform and called on President Clinton and Congress to support legislation that includes all the essential elements of reform.

The proposed elements include:

Spending limits and more public campaign resources to enable candidates to run for office without dependence on special-interest campaign contributions.

A ban on political party "soft money."

20Controls on special-interest, Political Action Committee contributions.

20Closure of the campaign finance loophole that allows PACs and individuals to send candidates large sums of money by "bundling" contributions.

Repeal of the tax deduction for lobbying expenses and use of those funds to provide additional money to finance public campaign resources for Congress. This reform, along with an increase in the $1 presidential checkoff on tax forms, is aimed at reducing Congressional franking privileges.

20Reform of the Federal Election Commission to ensure effective enforcement of campaign finance laws.

Campaign finance reforms must be effective for the 1994 congressional races.

Common Cause, which advocates governmental reforms, was organized in 1970 by John Gardner.