WASHINGTON — Sen. Al Franken teamed with several colleagues Thursday to promote new legislation that would restrict the influence of corporations and big-money special interests in elections.
The measure proposed by Franken, Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., Russ Feingold, D-Wis., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is intended to blunt the impact of the January Supreme Court decision opening the gates to spending on political advertising by corporations and unions.
The lawmakers hope to get a vote on the bill by July 4 so the law can take effect before the November midterm elections.
In its 5-4 decision on Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, the high court overturned two precedents in ruling that Congress could not restrict the rights of corporations and unions in political speech.
The new legislation would require all groups making political expenditures to disclose their donors and appear on camera in support of their ads.
“Citizens United was an incredible act of judicial activism,” Franken said. “It turned back a century of federal law, and it nullified Minnesota’s 20-year-old ban on corporate spending in elections. The DISCLOSE Act will make sure that voters and shareholders know who is funding election advertising.”
