Litigation

Disclosure Bill Falters Again in Senate

By Peter Hardin

Democratic efforts to advance a bill requiring disclosure by corporations and labor unions of their political spending faltered in the Senate today for the second time.

In the face of a Republican filibuster, a proposal to advance the legislation toward a final vote on the Senate floor fell one vote short of the required 60 votes. The procedural vote was 59 to 39, with the latter all GOP votes, according to an Associated Press article.

Senate Republicans had similarly blocked the bill in July (see Gavel Grab).

The House voted earlier this year to pass the bill, which was shaped by Democratic leaders to soften the impact of the Supreme Court?s Citizens United decision in January. Republicans and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and many other business groups opposed the measure, contending it was unconstitutional and would disadvantage corporations.

The legislation would force corporations and unions to completely disclose political spending,  including for what are called ?issue ads.? These typically are intended to elect an individual candidate, without directly asking voters to do so. The legislation also would require CEOs to appear in a company?s political advertising and state support for its message.

Democratic leaders cautioned that Citizens United would result in a flood of shadowy special interest ads sponsored by wealthy corporations.

“We have these nameless, faceless individuals spending huge amounts of money, corporate money and other money. There is certainly no transparency whatsoever,” Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., warned.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell belittled the legislation as a “bill that amounts to little more than an incumbency protection act for Democrats in Congress.?

Political spending has “exploded” since the Supreme Court ruling, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“What we know is more money than ever is flooding into the election. We don’t know where it’s coming from,” said Craig Holman of Public Citizen.

On the eve of the Senate vote, White House senior adviser David Axelrod wrote a Washington Post column supportive of the bill and headlined, “The election campaigners we can’t see.”

Full post as published by The Gavel on September 23, 2010 (boomark / email).