At a Senate Rules Committee Hearing, Klobuchar emphasized importance of passing the DISCLOSE Act, legislation she cosponsored to require organizations to disclose major donors
Earlier this month, the Judiciary Committee passed a constitutional amendment that Klobuchar has championed to allow Congress to override the Citizens United and McCutcheon Supreme Court rulings
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar today continued to push to pass legislation to increase transparency in political spending by special interests, helping ensure that wealthy donors and corporations can no longer spend unlimited money in U.S. elections anonymously. At a Senate Rules Committee Hearing, Klobuchar emphasized the need for the DISCLOSE ACT of 2014 that would require organizations to disclose major donors. Earlier this month, the Judiciary Committee passed a constitutional amendment that Klobuchar has cosponsored to allow Congress to override the Citizens United and McCutcheon Supreme Court rulings.
“With outside special interest money flooding our political campaigns, Americans feel their voices are being drowned out,” said Klobuchar. “We must take action to right this wrong, and this legislation is one important step forward in our effort to help restore the public’s confidence in the electoral process.”
Since the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, which allows special interests to spend unlimited amounts of money on federal election activity, Super PACs and other outside groups have dramatically increased their spending on federal elections. A recent report found that outside groups spent as much as $2.5 billion in the 2012 elections.
Under the DISCLOSE (Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections) Act, corporations and unions that spend over $10,000 on campaign activity must disclose their spending to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) within 24 hours and list any donor who gives over $10,000 to the organization. Senator Klobuchar was also an original cosponsor of the DISCLOSE Act when it was introduced in 2010 and 2012.
Klobuchar is also a cosponsor of a constitutional amendment to allow Congress to override Citizens United and McCutcheon and move forward with campaign finance reform. The amendment, introduced by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), would explicitly authorize Congress to regulate the raising of money for federal campaigns, including independent expenditures like those from Super PACs. The amendment would not specify any policies or regulations, instead enabling Congress to pass campaign finance reform legislation. The amendment also expressly states that any regulation cannot limit the freedom of the press.
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