April 29 2010 at 10:38 AM

Congress proposes legislative fixes to campaign finance law in wake of Citizens United

Filed in: Campaign Finance Reform | Open Government | News | Illinois | Michigan | Minnesota | Ohio | Wisconsin
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Today, Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Ron Wyden(D-OR), Evan Bayh (D-IN), and Representatives Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mike Castle (R-DE), Walter Jones (R-NC), and Robert Brady (D-PA) unveil legislation to rein in the damage post-Citizens United.

“We hope that Congress passes strong disclosure legislation. Another vital step for our democracy is for Congress to quickly move forward on small donor public financing, the Durbin-Larson bill,” said Susan Liss, democracy program director of the Brennan Center for Justice, a Midwest Democracy Network partner organization.

“A key piece of the Schumer Van Hollen bill is disclosure—which is the least that we can ask of corporations in the new post-Citizens United era,” said Brennan Center attorney Ciara Torres-Spelliscy.

Bill highlights include:

  • Corporations and unions would have to identify themselves on political ads they bankroll, and the CEO or top official would have to make “I approve this message” statements to prevent organizations from funneling money through shell groups to hide their identity.
  • Foreign-controlled corporations and government contractors would be barred from spending money on elections Political spending by companies that received government bailout money would be prohibited.
  • Corporations and unions would have to disclose campaign-related spending on their websites and report that spending to shareholders and members.

National campaign finance watchdogs Public Campaign and Common Cause in a news release today also urged Congress to “go further to address the problem of big money in our political process.”

“Sen. Schumer and Rep. Van Hollen should be commended for their concern over undue corporate influence in our elections, but the U.S. Supreme Court’s blockbuster decision needs a response that carries equal force, one that ends Congressional dependence on deep-pocked lobbying interests,” said Nick Nyhart, president and CEO of Public Campaign. “Congress must act boldly to restore the country’s faith in our political system.” 

“Now is the time for Congress to free itself from Wall Streets’ grip so Main Street can get a fair shake,” said Bob Edgar, president and CEO of Common Cause. “The legislation introduced today is important, but to give Americans a voice in their democracy we need an alternative for candidates who don’t want to spend all their time courting special interests. The Fair Elections Now Act would do that, and must be part of Congress’ legislative response to the Citizens United decision.” 

With the Fair Elections Now Act candidates can run for office on a blend of limited public funds and small donations of $100 or less.

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a Midwest Democracy Network partner organization, has been actively protesting the Citizens United decision. Executive Director Mike McCabe lays out ways to push back against the decision in ‘Game over’ for democracy? Not by a long shot. Currently operating under the moniker United Citizens Against Citizens United, the Democracy Campaign gathered petition signatures, held a March to Overrule the Court, and engaged concerned citizens on Facebook. (Find out about the campaign’s name change.)

Read Democracy 21’s detailed analysis of the Schumer-Van Hollen bill.

Check out the Campaign Legal Center’s blog post, “A Vote Against the DISCLOSE Act is a Vote Against Sunshine.”

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