Washington, DC - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) made the following remarks in support of H.R. 5175, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act (DISCLOSE) Act.  The DISCLOSE Act will close some of the biggest election loopholes created after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.  In their ruling, the Supreme Court opened the floodgates to unrestricted special interest campaign spending in American elections—even from entities controlled by foreign governments.  The House passed the bill, 219-206.

“Madam Speaker: I rise in support of H.R. 5175, the DISCLOSE Act, as a cosponsor and strong proponent of this legislation.

“The DISCLOSE Act is a bipartisan response to the Supreme Court’s reckless decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission to give corporations the same rights as American citizens with respect to political speech.  The decision overturned decades of precedent upholding common-sense campaign finance laws that kept special interests at bay in our elections. Corporations – think Big Oil and Wall Street – can now speak louder and more forcefully than the ordinary American without any restrictions.  Moreover, Citizens United opened up the very real possibility that other countries – many of which do not have America’s best interest in mind – can spend money to influence our elections.  Maybe the opponents of this legislation don’t understand that by voting “no” they’ve allowed China Telecom or Venezuela’s CITGO the same rights as ordinary Americans when it comes to spending money in our elections.

“Since we are not yet politically at a point where we have the votes to overturn this reckless Supreme Court decision, the DISCLOSE Act is a step towards ensuring that since that corporations now have these rights, they must spend money in the light of day.  For one thing, corporations cannot hide behind shadow groups that do not have to disclose their donors the public.  If corporations choose to advertise close to Election Day, they must report their donors to the Federal Election Commission and include a hyperlink to their disclosure report on their websites. Moreover, chief executive officers will have to stand behind their ads and top donors will be listed on advertisements. American citizens have the right to know and deserve to know who it is exactly that is telling them to vote for or against a candidate.

“The DISCLOSE Act prevents foreign cash in our elections, and also prevents corporations receiving large government contracts, and corporations that are using money out of the Troubled Asset Relief Fund from spending taxpayer money out of their general treasuries on American elections.  These practical limitations are necessary to ensure that American elections are not co-opted by foreign entities and special interests looking out only for their own interests and bottom lines.

“Madam Speaker: the DISLCOSE Act represents months of hard work and compromise so that American citizens would still have a strong voice in our elections.  Most Americans, in fact, did not agree with the Supreme Court’s decision because they understand that corporations and individuals are not one in the same.  I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in voting “yes” on this legislation and ensure that American’s voices are still heard in our elections.”

The DISCLOSE Act requires corporations, organizations, and special interest groups to stand by their political advertising just like a candidate for office does.  CEOs will need to identify themselves in their advertisements, and corporations and organizations will be required to disclose their political expenditures.  The bill also prohibits entities that receive taxpayer money – such as large government contractors and corporations receiving TARP funds – from turning around and spending that money to influence elections.  The DISCLOSE Act has strong support from the campaign finance reform community and been endorsed by Common Cause, League of Women Voters, Public Citizen, Campaign Legal Center, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), and Democracy 21, among many other organizations.