[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16134]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            THE DISCLOSE ACT

  Mrs. HAGAN. Mr. President, I am glad to join my colleagues today to 
discuss our elections process and the state of campaign finance. As 
everyone here knows, in January of this year the Supreme Court ruled in 
a 5-to-4 decision in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission 
that the first amendment cannot limit corporate funding of political 
advertisements in candidates' elections. Effectively, this decision 
overturned decades of campaign finance law that limited special 
interest influence on elections.
  I am deeply concerned that this ruling is weakening the voice of the 
American people in our elections. Monday the New York Times reported 
that, since the ruling, many nonprofit advocacy groups have set up 
sister organizations and specially classified themselves under section 
501(c) of the Tax Code. Organizations are using the 501(c) status as a 
loophole to avoid having to disclose their donors' identity.
  I want America's campaign finance process to be transparent. What do 
I mean by transparent? That the public knows who is paying for the 
message and how much. We have to be aware of the influence that money 
has on politics.
  In response to the Court's decision, the DISCLOSE Act was introduced 
to mitigate the harmful effects of the Supreme Court's decision in 
Citizens United. The DISCLOSE Act would implement comprehensive 
disclosure requirements on corporations, unions, and other 
organizations that spend money on Federal election campaigns. This is 
common sense. When every one of us here in this Senate, Republicans and 
Democrats, runs for reelection, we have to state in our advertisements 
that we approved the ad. There is no reason we should not hold 
corporations and unions to the same standard. By increasing the 
transparency of campaign spending by these groups, this legislation 
seeks to prevent unregulated corporate power over elections.
  Under the legislation, the CEOs of corporations, the leaders of 
unions and other organizations would be required to appear on camera 
for the election advertisements they have funded. The DISCLOSE Act 
would also require that the top five donors from organizations that pay 
for campaign advertisements be listed on the screen at the end of the 
television ad.
  Additionally, the legislation would take steps to eliminate the 
influence of foreign corporations on American elections. I believe the 
Court's decision puts the voices of ordinary Americans at risk of being 
drowned out by direct corporate spending on elections. America deserves 
open and transparent elections and that is why I am a cosponsor of the 
DISCLOSE Act. I believe the DISCLOSE Act would ensure that average 
American voters are the ones in charge during elections, not special 
interest money and not foreign corporations.
  I can assure you I will continue to do everything within my power and 
work with my colleagues in the Senate to protect the integrity of the 
election process. I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle 
will join us in this effort.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________