Associated Press Legislatures push back against campaign rulingBy Tom Breen March 13, 2010 The U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of decades-old campaign spending limits gives states scant time to face an election-year puzzle: Brace for a flood of new money in politics or find new ways to rein it in. Within days of the ruling, state […]
The question has been raised about whether the policy to ban corporate contributions and expenditures in federal elections dates back to 1947 or to 1907. It is clear from the history of the law that the policy to ban corporate expenditures originated in 1907. In 1907, Congress enacted legislation to prohibit corporations from "directly or […]
Last night in his State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to enact legislation to correct the problems caused by the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Citizens United v. FEC. The President said that the decision “reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests – including foreign corporations […]
The HillDeParle’s industry ties a non-issue By Jeffrey Young March 5, 2009 White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann DeParle’s professional ties to healthcare companies may have prompted questions from the media, but government ethics watchdogs say they don’t see a problem. DeParle brings stellar credentials to her new job, having served in several high-level […]
Analysis: Problems with the Presidential Public Financing Systemand Solutions in New Legislation Introduced by Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI)and Representatives Marty Meehan (D-MA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) The presidential public financing system was established in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandals to provide candidates with the financial resources necessary to compete effectively for the […]
CQ PoliticsRestrictions Put Dent In Congressional TravelBy Alex KnottSeptember 14, 2009 Lawmaker trips sponsored by outside groups have decreased by 56 percent since the ethics and lobbying overhaul law was enacted two years ago, according to a CQ MoneyLine study of congressional travel. Since then, more than 2,300 former sponsors of lawmaker trips, including many […]
Another Moment of Truth for the FEC– A Report from Washington by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer – This week, on May 13, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is scheduled to consider a proposal by two of its Commissioners that would put the brakes on "527 political organizations" that are circumventing the federal campaign finance […]
On July 30, 2007 Democracy 21 and other reform groups sent a letter to House members, strongly urging Representatives to vote for the lobbying and ethics reform legislation when it is considered by the House on the suspension calendar. Democracy 21 was joined by the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen […]
PoliticoWall Street invested heavily in ObamaBy Kenneth P. VogelJanuary 20, 2009 Barack Obama boasted on the campaign trail that his administration would not be beholden to special interests, because his presidential bid was funded by small donations from regular folks. But a Politico analysis of career contributions to the inner circle of the incoming White […]
The Washington PostFEC Drops ‘Soft Money’ Action; GOP, Democratic Groups Warned About Future FundraisingThomas B. EdsallApril 29, 2003 The Federal Election Commission dismissed complaints against two inactive “soft money” committees yesterday but warned that tougher steps could be taken once active fundraising begins. The decisions announced yesterday were the first test of the regulatory enforcement […]
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