Litigation

Disclosure Legislation Advances in US House

By Peter Hardin

Legislation requiring corporations to identify themselves in political ads they pay for, and to disclose their expenditures to shareholders and the public, will be taken up by the full House of Representatives.

The DISCLOSE Act, as it is called, was approved by the House Administration Committee, Legal Newsline reported. It was introduced by congressional Democrats to soften the impact of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in January.

President Obama hailed the bill’s progress, according to the Open Secrets Blog of the Center for Responsive Politics. ?Today, the House Administration Committee took another important step toward putting in place critical protections to control the flood of special interest money into American elections,? Obama said in a statement.

In other reports about campaign finance issues, a Boston Globe article was headlined, “Congress trying to ease campaign finance rules.” It examined little-noticed sections of legislation that would give more influence to the major political parties.

The blog of the Campaign Legal Center published an extensive article on challenges to campaign finance and disclosure laws multiply after the Citizens United ruling. The center is a partner of Justice at Stake.

An article by Bloomberg examined lawsuits pushed by the Republican Party and conservative groups to throw out other campaign finance limits in the wake of Citizens United.

When the high court issued its ruling, Justice at Stake said the decision posed grave dangers to America?s elected state courts. You can read the JAS statement by clicking here, or click here to see the JAS amicus brief in the case; you can visit Gavel Grab to learn how state legislators and executive branch officials have responded.

Full post as published by The Gavel on May 24, 2010 (boomark / email).