Lobbying Disclosure
Congress and the Executive Branch should focus on making the work of lobbyists and other paid influencers more transparent.
Money in Politics Disclosure
To uncover the levers of access and influence in Congress and the White House, real time online disclosure of money in politics must become the standard.
- Enact Legislation to Disclose Dark Money in Elections
- Appoint FEC Commissioners Committed to Transparency
- The IRS Should Tighten and Enforce Rules Regarding Electioneering Activities of Nonprofits
- The SEC Should Require Companies to Disclose Political Spending
- Improve the FCC's Political File Database
- Mandate Disclosure of Tax Returns and Bundlers by Presidential Candidates
- Enact Legislation to Disclose Corporate Political Spending to Shareholders
- Require Senators to Electronically File Campaign Finance Disclosure Reports
Government Data
There is a wealth of government data that must be made accessible to the public.
- Create an Index of Federal Agencies' Major Datasets
- Enact the Public Online Information Act
- Enact the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act
- Make Congressional Research Service Reports Publicly Available
- Implement the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act
- Adopt FOIA Reforms
- Review the Personal Financial Disclosure System
- Report Earmark Requests from Congress Online
Enact Legislation to Disclose Corporate Political Spending to Shareholders
Congress should enact legislation mandating that publicly held companies disclose their corporate political expenditures online within 48 hours.
Background
The Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision gave corporations the right to spend unlimited funds from their corporate treasuries to support or attack candidates. Currently, there are no rules or procedures to ensure that shareholders – those who actually own the corporations – are informed of decisions regarding political expenditures.
The Shareholder Protection Act includes provisions that require corporations to disclose on the SEC web site how much they are spending on elections and which candidates they support or oppose. It also requires that each corporate political expenditure over a certain dollar threshold be promptly disclosed to shareholders and the public. These provisions are instrumental to informing shareholders about how their money is being spent to elect or defeat a candidate.
A Zogby International poll commissioned by the business-led Committee for Economic Development (CED) found that two-thirds of business leaders agreed with the statement: “the lack of transparency and oversight in corporate political activity encourages behavior that puts corporations at legal risk and endangers corporate reputations.” In addition to business leaders, the general public believes in transparency.
Disclosure of corporate political activity is fundamental to responsible corporate governance and to democracy.
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