Democrats in Congress will re-file the DISCLOSE Act, Castor says
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives intend to re-file legislation that would require super PACs to disclose their donors, said Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times editorial board on Thursday.
“We want to shine a very bright light on what’s happening,” Castor said. “People turn on their TV sets and as they get bombarded by these ads, and they do not know where they’re coming from. I’m hoping that people will stand up and demand some disclosure of money that’s coming in from large corporations and others.”
In 2010, Democrats proposed the DISCLOSE Act after the Supreme Court struck down campaign finance rules limiting spending by corporations with its Citizens United ruling. The ruling cleared the way for super PACs to buy political advertising without having to disclose their donors.
The DISCLOSE ACT passed the House but couldn’t clear a procedural hurdle in the Senate. The lead sponsor for the legislation in the House remains Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Castor said.
On the topic of health care reform, Castor said that the federal government would enact key provisions of the law if the state government refused to act. For example, the federal government has the power to set up health insurance exchanges, where people will be able to comparison shop for health insurance starting in 2014.
“The feds are going to have the model exchange, and if the state of Florida doesn’t move ahead with theirs, I think for the average consumer, it will be about the same. They’ll go to their computer, or go to an educational seminar, and have those comparisons in front of them,” she said.
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