Concord, N.H. -- While legislation introduced today to revise the presidential public financing system is very positive, Congress should also reform the system by publicly funding elections for the U.S. Senate and House, John Rauh, founder and president of the Americans for Campaign Reform (ACR), said today.

“The very issues cited as reasons for reform – lobbying scandals involving Jack Abramoff and former Rep. Duke Cunningham – involve matters relating to Congress,” said Rauh. “These scandals cry out for a solution that addresses the problem. The problem is a private financing system that loosens a cascade of special interest money. The solution is public financing of all federal elections, including the House and Senate.”

ACR is a nonpartisan grassroots movement of citizens working to eliminate the influence of big money on our country’s agenda. It believes that public funding of all federal races – President, Senate and House – is a requirement for our democracy to be vital.

Rauh was commenting after legislation was introduced by Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.), Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) that would increase the amount of matching funds for presidential primaries and make other positive changes to that system. The bill was introduced today in conjunction with a report, “Presidential Public Financing: Repairing the System,” issued by the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21.

“Public funding for all federal elections is imperative,” Rauh said. “Congress should allow citizens to take back control of the federal election process by publicly funding each and every election for the House, the Senate and the White House.”

Rauh praised language in the bill that would increase the funding levels for presidential candidates: “It is consistent with ACR’s belief that funding levels should be sufficient to assure that candidates who qualify will have sufficient funds for the voters to learn enough about them to make their choice.”

According to calculations by ACR, all U.S. federal races – President, Senate and House – could be funded by our government for Just $6 per citizen per year, only a fraction of the taxpayer money wasted every year on projects that reward special interests and their lobbyists. ACR’s Web site is www.just6dollars.org.