1. Campaign Finance & Political Speech Political speech – inseparable from the concept of self-government –Limits: 1907 Tillman Act 1910 Federal Corrupt Practices Act 1939 Hatch Act 1947 Taft-Hartley Act 1971 & 1974 Federal Elections Campaign Act (FECA) *1976 Buckley v. Valeo 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCRA) aka – McCain-Feingold *2003 McConnell v FEC *2010 Citizens United v. FEC

2. Reforming Campaign Financing 1. 2. 3. * All have been limited by court/administrative decisions and changing campaign dynamics.

3. Federal Election Campaign Act FECA 1971 and amended in 1974 –Placed limits on certain political contributions and expenditures –Required public disclosure of contributions and expenditures above certain levels –Political action committees (pacs) had to register with the gov’t and report contributions/expenditures –Created a system of public funding of Presidential campaign activities http://www.fec.gov/info/checkoff.htm http://www.fec.gov/info/checkoff.htm Almost all candidates accepted for 20 years (until 2000) –Established the Federal Election Commission (FEC)

4. Buckley v. Valeo (1976) Did the limits placed on electoral expenditures by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, and related provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, violate the First Amendment's freedom of speech and association clauses?

5. Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) or McCain-Feingold –Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party-building purposes – now mostly illegal Restrictions on Electioneering Communications –Political contributions that are limited in amount and fully disclosed Primary candidates Conventions General election 527s