September 22, 2022

U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator,

           You will soon be considering S. 4822, the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections ACT of 2022 (DISCLOSE Act).  On behalf of the more than one million members and supporters of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), I urge you to oppose this legislation. 

            The landmark 1958 court decision in NAACP v. Alabama held that the NAACP could not be required to provide lists of names and addresses of their donors.  S. 4822 would infringe on the freedom of speech and association that is protected in that decision by forcing 501(c) organizations to release their donor lists, creating a permanent record of personal donor information on a massive public government database.

            Americans should not have their personal information exposed just because they made the decision to donate to a political or nonprofit organization of their choosing.  S. 4822 also contains new, problematically broad definitions for “political coordination” and “political counseling services” that would prevent individual taxpayers and nonprofit organizations from advocating for policy issues on Capitol Hill. 

            Despite its name and supposed commitment to improving transparency and fighting special interests, S. 4822 attacks donor privacy and infringes on the freedom to associate in America.  For these reasons, I urge you to oppose S. 4822.  All votes related to S. 4822 may be among those considered for CCAGW’s 2022 Congressional Ratings.  

Sincerely,
Tom Schatz 
President, CCAGW 

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