After two weeks of unusually open debate and hours of backroom maneuvering, the Senate will vote on Monday on the most sweeping overhaul of campaign finance law since 1976. Despite several ploys by opponents, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) have managed to keep their both their coalition and the bill largely intact. The latest hurdle was passed yesterday, when the Senate voted 53 to 47 to reject an amendment that would have brought down the whole bill if the Supreme Court found any portion unconstitutional. The two major provisions of the bill are a complete ban on soft money contributions to the national political parties from corporations, labor unions, and wealthy individuals and restrictions on "issue ads" run by labor unions and corporations within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election. In a compromise move, the bill also doubles the amount of hard money individuals may contribute to a candidate in an election from $1,000 to $2,000 and increases the total amount of direct donations allowed by individuals to candidates and parties in a year from $25,000 to $37,500. In addition, hard money limits are also raised for candidates facing self-financed "millionaire opponents," and candidates are guaranteed discount rates for television advertisements. The bill is widely expected to pass on Monday, and then the Senate must wait for the House to pass a parallel measure and then iron out the differences in committee. Even opponents of the bill are now predicting that a measure will pass the House and that the President will sign it despite his opposition to several elements in the McCain-Feingold bill. After that, the bill will be challenged in the courts by numerous parties and will almost certainly end up in the US Supreme Court. Despite these pitfalls and the fact that analysts and fund-raisers are already finding loopholes and plotting strategies to skirt the restrictions, the bill must be regarded as an important first step towards reforming the nation's political campaign system.