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Published: June 2010

No two-tier campaign finance laws: Consumer groups oppose DISCLOSE Act

Coalition: Campaign Finance Reform

A coalition of groups, including Consumer Action, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressing disapproval of an exemption for the National Rifle Association in a pending campaign finance bill.

Below is the full text of the letter:

The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United, which allows unlimited independent spending by corporations in support of or opposition to political candidates, has derailed many of the most important campaign finance reform reforms enacted over the past several decades. Many organizations committed to the preservation of fundamental principles of American democracy agreed with President Obama when he used the occasion of the State of the Union address to call on Congress to write legislation that would overturn the most egregious ramifications of the Citizens United decision.

We strongly believe that the Citizens United decision poses a threat to the integrity of the electoral process and we support legislation that provides for effective disclosure, while at the same time protecting free and independent speech and promoting active participation in elections by individuals and organizations. 

However, we must respectfully express our profound opposition to the effort to create an exemption from the disclosure requirements for large, powerful organizations, which, given the amendment’s language, in reality only applies to one entity, the National Rifle Association. 

It is inappropriate and inequitable to create a two-tiered system of campaign finance laws and First Amendment protections, one for the most powerful and influential and another for everyone else. There is no legitimate justification for privileging the speech of one entity over another, or of reducing the burdens of compliance for the biggest organization yet retaining them for the smallest. 

We urge you in the strongest possible terms to work with the sponsors to remove the offending language and restore the integrity of the bill so we can continue to participate in efforts to craft legislation that achieves the goal we all share to undo the damage of Citizens United and restore the integrity of our democratic system. In its current form, however, we have no choice but to oppose the passage of the DISCLOSE Act.

Lead Organization

Alliance for Justice

Other Organizations

Alliance for Justice | League of Conservation Voters | Sierra Club | American Association of Suicidology | Arizona Bridge to Independent Living | Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence | Campaign for Community Change | Ceasefire Oregon | Center for Science and the Public Interest | Change Congress | Coalition to Stop Gun Violence | CREDO Action | DC For Democracy | Defending Dissent Foundation | Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund | Education Voters of America | Friends of the Earth Fuse Washington | Global Justice Ministry | GunFreeKids.Org | Keystone Progress | Legal Momentum | Media Matters Action Network | National Resources Defense Council | National Consumers League | New Yorkers Against Gun Violence | New York Public Interest Research Group | North Carolinians Against Gun Violence | Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence | Planned Parenthood Federation of America | Progress Florida | Progress Michigan | Progress Now | Progress Now Colorado | Progress Ohio | Progressive Future | Protest Easy Guns | Public Advocates Inc. | Scott County Housing Council | States United to Prevent Gun Violence | Students for Gun Free Schools | Traction Action Fund | United Church of Christ | USAction | Violence Policy Center | Virginia Center for Public Safety | Wilco Justice Alliance | Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort | Women Against Gun Violence | Women of Reform Judaism

More Information

H.R. 5175 - DISCLOSE Act

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