Sunlight Foundation

Who Placed a Secret Hold on Sunlight?

Yet again an anonymous Senator has placed a secret hold on legislation that would increase transparency. This time a secret hold has been placed on a bill, S. 223, that would mandate that Senators file their campaign finance reports electronically. This process would not only make these reports more readily available to the public but would also save money and resources.

Yesterday this bill was blocked by an anonymous Senator who placed a secret hold on the bill. Secret holds are so looked down on these days that earlier this year the Senate itself banned the practice, although the bill containing that provision has yet to become law. But until secret holds are banished forever, we need your help in exposing the culprit who is blocking consideration of the electronic filing requirement for Senate campaign finance reports.

We need your help to find out who placed this secret hold! Call your Senators and ask them if they are the one with the secret hold on S. 223. Then report back here in the comments with your findings or contact us using this contact form. Below is a list of Senators, organized by state, and their contact info. If a Senator issues a denial we will indicate that next to their name.

Senator Contact Secret Hold?
Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) (202) 224-5744 NO
Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) (202) 224-4124 NO
Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) (202) 224-3004NO
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) (202) 224-6665 NO
John McCain (R-Arizona) (202) 224-2235 NO
Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) (202) 224-4521 
Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) (202) 224-4843NO
Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas) (202) 224-2353 
Dianne Feinstein (D-California) (202) 224-3841NO
Barbara Boxer (D-California) (202) 224-3553 
Wayne Allard (R-Colorado) (202) 224-5941NO
Ken Salazar (D-Colorado) (202) 224-5852 NO
Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut) (202) 224-2823 
Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut) (202) 224-4041 
Joseph Biden (D-Delaware) (202) 224-5042 
Thomas Carper (D-Delaware) (202) 224-2441NO
Bill Nelson (D-Florida) (202) 224-5274NO
Mel Martinez (R-Florida) (202) 224-3041 
Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia) (202) 224-3521NO
Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia) (202) 224-3643NO
Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) (202) 224-3934 
Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) (202) 224-6361 
Larry Craig (R-Idaho) (202) 224-2752NO
Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) (202) 224-6142 
Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) (202) 224-2152 NO
Barack Obama (D-Illinois) (202) 224-2854 NO
Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) (202) 224-4814 NO
Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) (202) 224-5623NO
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) (202) 224-3744NO
Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) (202) 224-3254 
Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) (202) 224-6521NO
Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) (202) 224-4774 
Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) (202) 224-2541 NO
Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky) (202) 224-4343NO
Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) (202) 224-5824 NO
David Vitter (R-Louisiana) (202) 224-4623 
Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) (202) 224-5344 
Susan Collins(R-Maine) (202) 224-2523NO
Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) (202) 224-4654NO
Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) (202) 224-4524 
Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) (202) 224-4543NO
John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) (202) 224-2742 NO
Carl Levin (D-Michigan) (202) 224-6221 
Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) (202) 224-4822 
Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota) (202) 224-5641NO
Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) (202) 224-3244NO
Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) (202) 224-5054 
Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) (202) 224-6253 
Christopher S. Bond (R-Missouri) (202) 224-5721NO
Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) (202) 224-6154NO
Max Baucus (D-Montana) (202) 224-2651 
Jon Tester (D-Montana) (202) 224-2644NO
Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) (202) 224-4224 
Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) (202) 224-6551 NO
Harry Reid (D-Nevada) (202) 224-3542 
John Ensign (R-Nevada) (202) 224-6244 
Judd Gregg (R-New Hampshire) (202) 224-3324 
John E. Sununu (R-New Hampshire) (202) 224-2841NO
Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) (202) 224-3224NO
Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) (202) 224-4744NO
Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico) (202) 224-6621 NO
Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) (202) 224-5521 
Charles Schumer (D-New York) (202) 224-6542 
Hillary Clinton (D-New York) (202) 224-4451 
Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina) (202) 224-6342 NO
Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) (202) 224-3154NO
Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota) (202) 224-2043 
Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) (202) 224-2551 
George Voinovich (R-Ohio) (202) 224-3353 NO
Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) (202) 224-2315 NO
James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) (202) 224-4721NO
Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) (202) 224-5754NO
Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) (202) 224-5244NO
Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) (202) 224-3753NO
Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) (202) 224-4254NO
Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pennsylvania) (202) 224-6324NO
Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) (202) 224-4642 
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) (202) 224-2921 
Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) (202) 224-5972 NO
Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) (202) 224-6121 NO
Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) (202) 224-5842NO
John Thune (R-South Dakota) (202) 224-2321 
Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) (202) 224-4944 NO
Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) (202) 224-3344NO
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) (202) 224-5922 NO
John Cornyn (R-Texas) (202) 224-2934NO
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) (202) 224-5251 NO
Robert Bennett (R-Utah) (202) 224-5444NO
Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) (202) 224-4242 NO
Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) (202) 224-5141 NO
John Warner (R-Virginia) (202) 224-2023 
Jim Webb (D-Virginia) (202) 224-4024 NO
Patty Murray (D-Washington) (202) 224-2621 
Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) (202) 224-3441 
Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) (202) 224-3954NO
Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia) (202) 224-6472NO
Herbert Kohl (D-Wisconsin) (202) 224-5653NO
Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) (202) 224-5323NO
Craig Thomas (R-Wyoming) (202) 224-6441 NO
Michael Enzi (R-Wyoming) (202) 224-3424NO