News

Democracy 21, Campaign Legal Center Join with Rep. Van Hollen to Urge IRS to Adopt Effective Definition of Political Activity for 501(c)(4) Eligibility

Urge IRS to Include Supreme Court Approved Standard in Definition to Ensure Coverage of Campaign Attack Ads Posing as “Issue Ads” Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center joined with Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today to submit joint comments in an IRS rulemaking that called on the IRS to adopt a new definition of […]

Watchdogs Urge FEC to Uphold Mobile Phone Ad Disclaimer Requirements & Conduct Long Overdue Rulemaking

Democracy 21 joined the Campaign Legal Center in strongly urging the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to uphold federal disclaimer requirements for political advertisements on mobile phones and further pressed the agency to conduct a related rulemaking originally proposed by the FEC in 2011.  The watchdog groups filed comments in response to the FEC’s draft Advisory […]

The McCutcheon Case:The Legal and Political Consequences if the Supreme Court Strikes Down Overall Contribution Limits

By Fred Wertheimer In the Citizens United case, the Supreme Court by a 5 to 4 vote struck down the longstanding ban on expenditures by corporations in federal elections. In doing so, the Court opened the door to vast amounts of unlimited contributions and secret money being spent in federal elections – some $1billion in […]

Reform Groups Urge Representatives to Vote No on Legislation to Restrict New IRS Rules on 501(c)(4) Standards

Reform groups sent a letter to the House urging Representatives to oppose H.R. 3865, legislation that “would prohibit the Treasury Department/IRS from adopting necessary revisions in the rules used to determine whether an organization is operating exclusively for the promotion of social welfare for purposes of tax code Section 501(c)(4).” According to the letter: The […]

Reform Groups Urge Reps. to Vote No on Legislation to Delay/Prohibit New IRS Rules

Reform groups today sent a letter to members of the House Ways and Means Committee urging Representatives to oppose legislation currently under consideration by the Committee that would mandate a one-year delay in the current rulemaking by the Treasury Department/Internal Revenue Service to modify regulations governing standards for “social welfare” organizations under section 501(c)(4) of […]

Fred Wertheimer Article for POLITICO Magazine: “Legalized Bribery”

POLITICO Magazine Legalized Bribery Four years on, Citizens United is ruining democracy. Here’s how to get it back. By FRED WERTHEIMER Exactly four years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court changed the landscape of American politics—and in ways we have yet to understand fully. In its 5-to-4 decision in Citizens United v. FEC, the court struck […]

Reform Groups Urge Senators to Vote No on House-Passed “Fig Leaf” Bill

Reform groups today sent a letter to the Senate urging Senators to oppose H.R. 2019, sponsored by Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS) and passed last month by the House. The legislation purported to provide funding for a 10-year pediatric research initiative and to pay for this by repealing a portion of the presidential public financing system. […]

Reform Groups Urge Representatives to Vote No This Week on Latest Attempt by House Republican Leaders to Repeal, Not Fix, Presidential Public Financing System

In a letter sent today to the House of Representatives, reform groups urged House members to vote no on H.R. 2019, sponsored by Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS), which purports to provide for a 10-year pediatric research initiative and repeals the presidential public financing system. The reform groups sending the letter include Americans for Campaign Reform, […]

Statement of Democracy 21, Public Citizen and the Campaign Legal Center on Withdrawal of Lawsuit Calling for New IRS Regulations on 501(c)(4) Groups and their Campaign Activities

Based on the IRS’s announcement last week that it is undertaking a rulemaking proceeding to address the problems arising from campaign activities by 501(c)(4) groups, U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen, Democracy 21, Public Citizen and the Campaign Legal Center today dismissed without prejudice the lawsuit they filed in federal court to obtain such a rulemaking […]

Wertheimer Statement: “Treasury Dept/IRS Inititiate Rulemaking of 501c4s”

Treasury Department and IRS Open Door to Preventing 501(c)(4) Organizations from Being Misused to Launder Secret Contributions into Federal Elections Key Issues Remain to be Decided in “Guidance” Proceeding Democracy 21 applauds the action taken today by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service to initiate a rulemaking to address the inadequate rules that […]