BLACK RIVER FALLS, WI - U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold said today the fight for genuine campaign finance reform is far from over, and the battle will be joined again in the coming session of the 105th Congress.

"This is a fundamental issue, the key to reforming government," Feingold said, "and, despite some well-entrenched opposition, we will ultimately prevail."

Feingold spoke to constituents at his annual Jackson County listening session.

Feingold said the McCain-Feingold bipartisan campaign finance reform bill, which he co-authored with Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, is scheduled for a full Senate debate before March 6. The McCain-Feingold bill would ban soft money - the unlimited and unregulated contributions to political parties - and require greater disclosure of fundraising activities and funding sources for campaign ads. It would also encourage candidates to voluntarily restrain their spending. Feingold said campaign finance reform is closely linked to the effort to balance the federal budget, because special interests who want to protect spending can also be the source of large contributions.

Feingold also said he will continue his efforts to eliminate the federal deficit when Congress reconvenes later this month. While the deficit has dropped from an all-time high of more than $290 billion in 1992 to about $23 billion, Feingold said there is still a lot of hard work and tough choices ahead if the job of balancing the budget is going to be finished.

"We must continue to exercise fiscal discipline and keep cutting wasteful spending until we have finally balanced the budget," Feingold said.

Feingold's Jackson County listening session was held at the WWTC-Black River Falls campus, beginning at 8:30 a.m. It was Feingold's eighth listening session for 1998 and his 368th since 1993. During his 1992 Senate campaign Feingold pledged to hold listening sessions in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties during each year of his term.