Changes Made to DISCLOSE Act

We are a little behind the curve here, but a deal was struck on Monday that will exempt groups like the National Rifle Association from provisions in the DISCLOSE Act. David Eggen of The Washington Post writes:

House Democrats have reached a compromise that would exempt the National Rifle Association and some other nonprofit groups from having to comply with stringent new campaign finance disclosures aimed primarily at large corporations, sources said Monday.

The deal paves the way for a House vote as early as later this week on the legislation, which is aimed at pushing back against a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that freed corporations, unions and nonprofit groups to spend unlimited funds for or against political candidates.

Specifically (as reported by The Washington Post and USA Today), under the exemption, non-profits more than a decade old with "more than 1 million members and that receive 15 percent or less of their funding from corporations would not have to abide by a key requirement [of the DISCLOSE Act] to disclose top donors."

Most of the press here has focused on the fact that the change was made to appease the NRA; however, it has been reported that a "handful of other large organizations, including the AARP seniors group and the Humane Society..." may also be exempt from the disclosure requirements.

At least one former proponent of the bill, the U.S. Public Interest Group, has withdrawn their support for the bill according to USA Today. In addition, The Hill reports that the Sierra Club, who had previously not taken a position, is now opposing the bill. The New York Times reports that another former likely supporter of the bill, the Alliance for Justice, is now opposing the bill. However, other supporters, including the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, Democracy 21 and Public Citizen say they intend to support the change.

This change probably brought some pro-Second Amendment Blue Dog Democrats on board who were previously uncommitted. As is often the case with the unruly Democrat Congressional caucus, they now run the risk of losing progressives who have no interest in doing the NRA any favors. While it has not been reported, I would be curious to know how much the AARP was involved in this compromise.

A vote on the legislation in the House is possible later this week.