Pass S. 482!

During the 110th Congress OMB Watch was a part of a campaign, pass S. 223. The Campaign Disclosure Parity Act would simply require senators to file their campaign finance reports electronically. And now ten groups have joined in the same effort which has become pass S. 482, where everyone can help us to get the bill passed. There is a list of all senators and information regarding whether they support the measure. You can find instructions on how to call your senators and instructions on how to report back on how they stand on the issue. Unfortunately, the same amendment that prevented the bill from passing last time is likely to be introduced again by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS). The amendment would force nonprofit organizations to disclose the names of anyone who gives $5,000 or more to the organization any time the group files a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee.

Help us stop this effort! Urge your senators to support S.482 and to oppose the potential poison pill amendment.

In regards to the amendment, a New York Times editorial recalls, "the last time the electronic filing measure came up, Republicans [. . . ] pushed a poison pill amendment requiring that any good government group that dares to file complaints about members with the Senate Ethics Committee disclose its donors to the Senate. These groups are already required to file that information with the I.R.S., but not to any other agency under protections dating back to the civil rights era when segregationist lawmakers tried to obtain the N.A.A.C.P.’s membership lists. It's time for the Senate to get past such pettiness. Hit the enter key; step into the sunshine."

The Sunlight Foundation has also started a twitter campaign, where they will send messages to the 17 senators currently on Twitter to try and get their support for the bill or thank them for cosponsoring. Two new co-sponsors have been added to the bill, which Sunlight attributes to the twitter efforts since both Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Clair McCaskill (D-MS) announced their support over twitter.

Openthegovernment.org has an action alert here. Or visit the Pass 482 site and make sure your Senator supports the bill!

(Amanda Adams* 03/13/09)

Comments

by Aaron (not verified) on 05/05/09

I am very much in favor of

I am very much in favor of transparency when it is actually effective; however, this bill seems severely flawed.

It seems like the major complaint against Roberts' bill here and at the Sunlight Foundation is the "poison pill" would "force nonprofit organizations to disclose the names of anyone who gives $5,000 or more to the organization any time the group files a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee." I read somewhere that this violated their "constitutional right to privacy."

I can only assume then that everyone at OMB Watch and the Sunlight Foundation is vehemently against this as well:

http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/norindsea.shtml

Look up your name--if you've donated more than $300 I believe you're in there. Why is it OK for individual citizens to be tracked when they give money alone, but when they funnel over $5000 through a non-profit like MoveOn.org or ACORN, suddenly this is a violation of privacy?

I would sincerely love it if this were a legitimate attempt at full disclosure, but this loophole is an obvious attempt from the Left to keep their standard contributors exempt. What a joke.

by Susan Lavine (not verified) on 03/24/09

Why should donor lists be

Why should donor lists be kept private? It is bad enough that there may be no oversight to political campaign contributions (i.e. license, address checks)? Why should Americans not know the names of people who are donating funds and amounts to non-profits which are lobbying organizations (oops!) I mean advocacy groups? How is that detrimental to either free speech or the legislative process? Or is it the bottom line of these organizations such as OMB Watch, Sunlight Foundation (on the left) and I suspect there are similar efforts under way on the right but as I am a liberal I don't know what those groups are but I just don't like entities outside of government trying to control our elected officials who are supposed to represent their constituents. We have had a democratically controlled majority since 2002 right? Now the Dems control the White House, the Senate and the Congress. Why oppose transparency? "that any good government group that dares to file complaints about members with the Senate Ethics Committee disclose its donors to the Senate" What is wrong with this? Please explain. As a Democrat I shudder when the Democrats try to prevent access to information. Does it actually take financially lucrative "non-profits" to bring forward complaints to the Senate Ethics Committee in 2009? I can't call my legislator when I don't understand the reason to oppose this. Please explain how this prevents your organization from doing your "mandate." And can the electronic campaign filing be extended to Presidential campaigns? Lastly, if Americorps and other efforts are funded with US tax dollars and are government organizations why should the young people involved with those efforts not be held to the same standard on their political activities as government employees? How could that harm a young persons efforts to depoliticize these groups? Please explain. Can we try to get work done, move America forward please?