Senate Rules Committee Holds Hearing on the Disclose Act of 2014

Press Release

The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration convened a hearing today on S.2516, the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2014 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2014.

The hearing featured remarks by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, the sponsor of the 2014 DISCLOSE Act. The committee also heard testimony from two campaign finance experts.

"U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously stated "Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants," Schumer said. "The DISCLOSE Act of 2014 is a dose of sunlight needed to combat special interests and increase transparency after the Supreme Court's decimation of our nation's campaign finance laws."

The DISCLOSE Act of 2014 would require covered organization that spends $10,000 or more on election ads to file a disclosure report with the FEC within 24 hours, and to file a new report for each additional $10,000 or more that is spent. The disclosure report must include the sources of all donations of $10,000 or more that the organization received during that election cycle. A "covered organization" includes any corporation, labor organization, section 501(c) or 527 organization, or super PAC, but not a party
or candidate committee. Section 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, which are prohibited by their tax status from spending money to influence elections, are excluded.

Witnesses testifying today: Heather Gerken, J. Skelly Wright Professor of Law, Yale Law School and Bradley A. Smith, Chairman, Center for Competitive Politics.

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