House passes new campaign spending rules

WASHINGTON -- The House voted last week for new disclosure rules on how corporations, labor unions and some special-interest groups spend advertising money on political campaigns.

Lawmakers voted 219-206 for the bill that Democratic sponsors said would foster transparency in how powerful interests involve themselves in elections.

Critics said it would violate the Constitution by infringing on free-speech rights. Further, Republicans declared Democrats had a vested interest in chilling big spending against them in the fall campaigns.

The bill was further controversial because of a deal sponsors struck under pressure that exempted the National Rifle Association from the reporting rules.

Supported by President Barack Obama, the bill was written in response to the Supreme Court ruling in January that declared corporations have a free-speech right to spend their money on elections. It set off a furor among election reformers and Democrats, including Obama's scolding of the Supreme Court during his State of the Union speech.

The measure would require corporations and nonprofits to disclose their five top donors if they spend on political advertising, and to disclose who is paying for the ads. Top company executives would have to appear on camera to endorse their messages, like candidates do now.

Three dozen Democrats crossed party lines and voted against the bill, while two Republicans voted for it. Its prospects in the Senate appear uncertain.

Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus, both D-Nev., voted for the bill. Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., voted against it.

Jobless payments bill blocked

The Senate hit a brick wall on a $109 billion bill that contained a variety of tax breaks and recession-related provisions, including an extension of emergency unemployment benefits and additional Medicaid funding for states.

Senators voted 57-41 in an attempt to overcome a Republican filibuster, but the tally fell three votes short of what was needed. It was the third failed attempt by Democrats to break the filibuster on the bill .

Democrats said the bill would have restrung the safety net beneath people who have been unable to find work during the economic downturn.

Republicans charged that new spending in the bill was not fully offset with budget cuts elsewhere, and that it would serve to deepen the federal deficit by $33 billion. They also said it contained new taxes on businesses that would stymie economic recovery.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., voted for the bill. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., voted against it.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.