DISCLOSE Act would prevent foreign spending in federal elections

This week the U.S. Senate will vote on legislation to ensure transparency in elections.

Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act is cosponsored by Virginia’s Sen. Tim Kaine.

“The DISCLOSE Act is critical legislation to strengthen campaign finance laws to make sure the public knows who is spending money to influence federal elections,” Kaine said in a press release Thursday. “While additional reforms are needed to protect the voice of the American people in our democracy, including voting rights and good government measures, this legislation is a step in the right direction. The best way to fight dark money spending is with sunlight and full transparency, and the DISCLOSE Act would do so.”

According to the press release, since the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC, outside group spending in federal elections has skyrocketed. Certain corporations, special interests and political groups that are the biggest spenders are not required by law to disclose their donors. Hurdles to transparency and difficulty understanding how dark money influences elections are results of the lack of disclosure.

The DISCLOSE Act would improve current law by requiring organizations and lobbyists spending money in elections to disclose their large donors and certify that they are not using foreign money for election spending. Foreign nationals and foreign corporations are prohibited from engaging in any election spending under current law, however, domestic companies with significant foreign ownership are not subject to the same restrictions. The new legislation would close this loophole and prohibit domestic corporations with significant foreign control, ownership or direction from spending money in U.S. elections.