Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer on Legislation Introduced Today by Senator Schumer and Representatives Van Hollen and Castle to Respond to Citizens United Decision by Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, April 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Democracy 21 strongly applauds Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Representatives Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Mike Castle (R-DE) for the important national leadership they have provided in proposing legislation to respond to the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case.

The legislation provides Congress with the opportunity to mitigate the destructive impact of the Citizens United decision which has opened the door for corporations, labor unions and other organizations to flood federal elections and buy influence over government decisions with massive campaign expenditures.

A new poll shows the American people overwhelmingly oppose the Citizens United decision. According to the Quinnipiac Poll (April 21, 2010):

Voters disapprove 79-14 percent of the Supreme Court's January ruling removing limits on the amount corporations and unions could spend attacking or boosting political candidates, with consistently strong opposition across the political spectrum.

The legislation introduced today is fair and equitable, and not partisan, in its impact. The bill applies alike to corporations, labor unions, trade associations and non-profit advocacy organizations.

It is also fair to donors.

Under the legislation, any donor to any organization can restrict the donated funds from being used for campaign-related expenditures and the donor will not be subject to any disclosure requirements.

Thus, whether a donor is disclosed or not is fully within the control of the donor.

Congress must act quickly to enact the legislation introduced today and make it effective in time for the 2010 congressional elections.

Comprehensive new disclosure requirements for campaign-related activities are at the core of the legislation introduced by Senator Schumer and Representatives Van Hollen and Castle.

The legislation is based on the fundamental principle set forth by the Supreme Court in the landmark Buckley case that the public has the right to know about expenditures being made to influence campaigns and about the sources that are providing the funds for such expenditures.

The Chamber of Congress has attacked the legislation introduced today, claiming it will "muzzle and or demonize independent voices from the election discussion."

As the Supreme Court said in the Citizens United case, however, disclosure and disclaimer requirements ""do not prevent anyone from speaking," and disclosure "permits citizens and shareholders to react to the speech of corporate entities in a proper way."

At the same time that the Supreme Court in Citizens United by a 5 to 4 vote held unconstitutional the ban on corporate and labor union campaign expenditures, the Court by an 8 to 1 vote made crystal clear that disclosure of such campaign activities is constitutional and appropriate.

To read the release in its entirety go to www.democracy21.org.

SOURCE Democracy 21