Ranking Republican on Elections Committee Criticizes Democrats for Making a Bad Bill Worse; Says Move Undermines Promises of Equal Treatment

WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on House Administration's Ranking Republican Dan Lungren, R-Calif., issued the following statement after reports confirmed that the authors of the DISCLOSE Act plan to expand the bill's already unequal treatment by exempting certain special interest groups: 

"Since the Court's decision, Democrats have maintained that their legislative response will 'apply equally across the board.'   They promised a bill that would stifle the political speech of corporations, labor unions and advocacy organizations alike.   

"Instead, they produced a bill that unfairly exempts unions from their arbitrary restrictions and requirements. And now, after receiving much-deserved criticism, they want to exempt some large 'special interest' groups in order to secure enough votes to pass their legislation and silence their critics? First, too big to fail and now, too big to file? 

"Enough. The Democrats' top campaign operatives should stop wheeling and dealing on backroom deals for Washington 'special interests.'  They should stop trampling on the First Amendment and abandon this partisan scheme." 

For more information, please contact the Committee press office at (202) 225-8281.

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