Right now, people running for Congress or President need to disclose campaign contributions to the Federal Election Commission in electronic form. That means that the info can be placed online MORE QUICKLY, and
people can search it before the election, possibly discovering a shenanigan or two. However, if you're the Senate, you can effectively delay disclosure by just delivering the info on paper, possibly covering up unsavory details.
The Sunlight Foundation just launched PASS 223 to use the power of the Web to push the Senate to pass common sense legislation. S. 223, The Campaign Disclosure Parity Act. It requires Senators to disclose their campaign contributions electronically, just like the House has been doing for years.
Right now, senators file their reports with the Secretary of the Senate, who then prints them out and delivers the reports in paper to the FEC. Only after the FEC inputs the data into their computer databases can the information be accessed by the public online. This process takes months, wastes hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, and most importantly, delays until after the election public access to information
about who is funding Senate campaigns.
The bill has been stuck in legislative limbo because a single Senator, Senator Ensign (R-NV) is insisting that a controversial, irrelevant amendment be voted on in conjunction with S. 223. A half-dozen reform minded groups have joined Sunlight on Pass223.com, which guides the public through simple steps to urge their Senators to pass this bill and oppose without Ensign's amendment. It lets folks report back and let everyone
know how the call went.
We don't know why Senator Ensign is doing this, seems pretty fishy, but for sure, he's stalling this bill for no legitimate purpose.
It's a great effort to get this long-overdue bill passed, and I'd personally appreciate what you can do.
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