Bill places limits on contractor spending
By Robert Brodsky rbrodsky@govexec.com June 25, 2010

The House on Thursday passed far-reaching campaign reform legislation that would prevent many government contractors and other recipients of federal funds from spending freely on election-year advertisements.

In a politically charged vote, the chamber passed the 2010 Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act by a vote of 219-206. All but two Republicans opposed the bill, while 36 Democrats voted against it.

The legislation would affect government contractors holding at least one $10 million award, recipients of bailout funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program and corporations with at least a 20 percent foreign ownership. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, also successfully added a provision banning political activity by BP or any other corporation with a federal lease to drill for oil off the outer continental shelf.

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