Press release/statement
Expert Available to Comment on DISCLOSE Act
WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, the DISCLOSE Act which would shine a light on the dark money dominating our democracy was defeated on the Senate floor. Although it received a majority of votes it failed to overcome a filibuster from Senator McConnell.
Liz Kennedy, Counsel at non-partisan public policy organization Demos, is available to provide expert opinion on the absurdity of this filibuster and the dangers posed by secret donations.
Our system of money in politics is failing the public interest, but that there are ways to make it demonstrably better.
As Kennedy explained in a piece for the PolicyShop blog posted just hours after the filibuster against the DISCLOSE Act took place, “There are a lot of people fighting hard for this common-sense legislation. In the spirit of the Home of the Brave may they keep up the fight, until enough people understand not only that our system of money in politics is failing their interests but that there are ways to make it demonstrably better.”
In addition, a press conference will be held tomorrow to highlight the potential role of the Securities and Exchange Commission in mandating disclosure of corporate political spending via rulemaking, in which a record-breaking 300,000 comments by the public have been filed with the SEC calling for regulatory action. The event will hammer home the point that the DISCLOSE filibuster is not the end of the road for sunlight of money in politics, and to stress that they will not give up on either the legislation or on other transparency remedies to deal with out-of-control political spending.
WHAT: Press conference to Continue Push for Transparency on the heels of filibuster against the DISCLOSE Act.
WHO: Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-O.R.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) will be joined by the bipartisan group of State Officials (CAPS) led by New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Kate Coyne-McCoy, Coalition for Accountability in Political Spending (CAPS), David Borris, small business owner, Hel’s Kitchen Catering, Northbrook, IL
WHEN: 11 AM, Wednesday, July 18
WHERE: The Capitol Bldg, S-115
