DISCLOSE 2012 Act
Latest action · Jul 12, 2012 Motion to Discharge Committee filed by Mr. Van Hollen. Petition No: 112-4. (<a href="http://clerk.house.gov/112/lrc/pd/petitions/DisPet0004.xml ">Discharge petition</a> text with signatures.)
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 9, 2012
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Disclosure of Information on Spending on Campaigns Leads to Open and Secure Elections Act of 2012 or DISCLOSE 2012 Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to redefine the term "independent expenditure" as an expenditure by a person that, when taken as a whole, expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, or is the functional equivalent of express advocacy because it can be interpreted by a reasonable person only as advocating the election or defeat of a candidate, taking into account whether the communication involved mentions a candidacy, a political party, or a challenger to a candidate, or takes a position on a candidates, qualifications, or fitness for office.
Expands the period during which certain communications are treated as electioneering communications.
Prescribes: (1) disclosure requirements for corporations, labor organizations, and certain other entities; and (2) disclaimer requirements for campaign-related disbursements and for certain communications.
Requires any communication transmitted through radio or television to include an individual or organizational disclosure statement, together with: (1) the Top Two Funders List of the persons providing the largest and second largest aggregate payments of $10,000 or more for a radio communication, and (2) the Top Five Funders List of the five persons providing the largest aggregate payments of $10,000 or more for a television communication.
Repeals the prohibition against political contributions by individuals age 17 or younger.
Requires a covered organization which submits regular, periodic reports to its shareholders, members, or donors on its finances or activities to include in each report, in a clear and conspicuous manner, the information included in the statements it has filed about campaign-related disbursements the organization has made during the period covered by the report.
Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require semiannual reports on certain election campaign contributions filed with the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives by registered lobbyists (or persons or organizations required to register as lobbyists) to contain: (1) the amount of any independent expenditure of $1,000 or more made by each such person or organization, along with the name of each candidate being supported or opposed and the amount spent supporting or opposing that candidate; and (2) the amount of any electioneering communication of $1,000 or more made by such person or organization, along with the name of the candidate referred to in the communication and whether the communication involved was in support of or in opposition to the candidate.
Cosponsors 165
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 9, 2012 to Sep 10, 2012, with 85 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Adam B. Schiff | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-WA | Adam Smith | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-PA | Allyson Y. Schwartz | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-MA | Barney Frank | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-MN | Betty McCollum | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-NJ | Bill Pascrell, Jr. | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-CA | Bob Filner | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-MD | C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-NY | Carolyn B. Maloney | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-TX | Charles A. Gonzalez | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Original | Feb 9, 2012 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 12, 2012Motion to Discharge Committee filed by Mr. Van Hollen. Petition No: 112-4. (<a href="http://clerk.house.gov/112/lrc/pd/petitions/DisPet0004.xml ">Discharge petition</a> text with signatures.)
- Feb 16, 2012Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
- Feb 9, 2012Introduced in House
- Feb 9, 2012Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2219 | DISCLOSE Act of 2012 | Related bill | Mar 29, 2012 |
| S 3369 | DISCLOSE Act of 2012 | Related bill | Jul 24, 2012 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Business records
- Congressional elections
- Corporate finance and management
- Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
- Financial services and investments
- Government information and archives
- Government Operations and Politics
- Labor-management relations
- Political advertising
- Political parties and affiliation
- Public participation and lobbying
- Tax-exempt organizations
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 9, 2012Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.