1.   Democrats have run about even with Republicans in soft money fund-raising, but they lag behind Republicans in regulated donations.

2.   Gold said the federation would also oppose efforts to raise limits on regulated donations to federal candidates and national parties.

3.   In fact, the ceilings for those regulated donations would be raised.

4.   It would also triple the current limits on regulated donations.

5.   The groups would have to use federally regulated donations and be required to disclose the names of their major donors.

6.   The two bills differ sharply on limits on so-called hard money, the regulated donations that unlike soft money can be directly used to aid individual political candidates.

7.   An alternative by Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., would limit but not prohibit loosely regulated donations to the parties by corporations, labor unions and individuals.

8.   An alternative by Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., would limit but not prohibit loosely regulated donations to the parties.

9.   An alternative from Sen. Chuck Hagel would limit but not prohibit those loosely regulated donations to political parties from corporations, labor unions and individuals.

10.   The alternative by Hagel would limit but not prohibit those loosely regulated donations to the parties by corporations, labor unions and individuals.