Citizens United Response – The Massachusetts Corporate Political Accountability Act

Senator Jamie Eldridge, Representative Cory Atkins, and Representative William Straus cordially invite you to join them:

The Massachusetts Corporate Political Accountability Act

Press Conference and Legislative Briefing

Monday, June 21st , 12:00 p.m.

State House Hearing Room 222

In January, on a 5-4 decision, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court struck down bipartisan legislation that had limited corporations from spending their general treasury funds on political expenditures. In March, the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance ruled that the decision invalidated similar prohibitions in Massachusetts General Law. Now, for-profit corporations may spend unlimited amounts to influence elections at all levels of government.

To respond to this reckless decision, Senator Eldridge, Representative Atkins and Representative Straus, with the help of Common Cause, have drafted The Massachusetts Corporate Political Accountability Act. This legislation, which will be filed on Monday, June 21st, will address the problems created by the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC by requiring new levels of disclosure and transparency for corporate political spending, eliminating “pay-to-play” opportunities for state contractors, enshrining new protections for employees, shareholders and investors, and prohibiting foreign entities from influencing elections in Massachusetts.

As President Obama noted in his State of the Union Address, the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC “will open the floodgates for special interests to spend without limit in our elections.”

MA State Senators and Representatives can sign on as a co-sponsor of the legislation by emailing Brendan Jarboe in Senator Eldridge’s office at brendan.jarboe@state.ma.us by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 21.