- 04.02.2019
Continuing Push to Shine a Light on Dark Money, Tester Fights to Make Elections More Transparent
Senator sponsors DISCLOSE Act to shed light on contributions to political groups
(U.S. Senate) – Continuing his relentless push to shine a light on dark money in politics, U.S. Senator Jon Tester has introduced legislation to increase transparency in elections by forcing political organizations to disclose the names of their biggest donors.
Tester’s Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act requires political organizations, including Super PACs, to promptly disclose the identity of all donors who give more than $10,000 during an election cycle.
“Right now, our campaign finance laws allow special interests and anonymous wealthy donors to buy influence and affect election results in Montana,” Tester said. “The DISCLOSE Act sheds light on these donors so Montanans know exactly who is paying for the constant ads that flood their TVs and mailboxes during election season.”
The DISCLOSE Act would require organizations to report information about donations over $10,000 during an election cycle to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) within 24 hours.
To prevent the practice of hiding donations through other organizations, Tester’s bill also requires political organizations to report transfers of funds that are made to other groups for campaign-related expenses.
Tester’s bill would also prohibit foreign nationals from participating in election-related decision making by individuals, corporations, or other political groups to prevent them from influencing American elections.
As the founder and Chairman of the Senate Transparency Caucus, Tester has been one of the strongest advocates for campaign finance reform in the Senate. He recently reintroduced the Spotlight Act, a bill to shine a light on dark money political donors, and his constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision. Last week, he cosponsored the For the People Act, a sweeping elections reform package to increase transparency and combat the influence of dark money in politics.
Read more about Tester’s push for campaign finance reform HERE.