In committee
DISCLOSE Act of 2026
Starting in 2027, this bill requires corporations, labor unions, and advocacy organizations spending more than $10,000 on federal elections or federal court nominations to file public disclosure reports and reveal donors who contributed $10,000 or more. Political advertisements across digital platforms, broadcast media, and automated calls must include an approval statement from the group’s leader along with a prominent list of their top two to five largest funders. The legislation also expands the federal ban on foreign money to cover state ballot initiatives, issue ads, and judicial nominations, imposing up to five years in prison for anyone using shell companies to conceal prohibited foreign spending.
People affected—not determinable from the text provided
Fiscal magnitude—no CBO estimate published
Reach78provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Money in politics+75Ethics & oversight+50Speech & expression+40
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Federal Election Commission (FEC)Empowers the FEC to petition the Supreme Court on certiorari directly in civil enforcement appeals and grants it access to FinCEN data to aid enforcement (Sec. 203(a), Sec. 301).
- Members of CongressGrants individual Senators and Representatives statutory standing to file lawsuits challenging campaign finance laws or intervene in constitutional litigation (Sec. 302(a)).
Who it burdens
- Covered political spending organizationsRequires corporations, LLCs, labor unions, 501(c) organizations, and section 527 groups spending more than $10,000 per election cycle on campaign activities or federal judicial nomination communications to file detailed disclosures with the FEC within 24 hours, identifying beneficial owners and donors of $10,000 or more (Sec. 201(a), Sec. 202(b)).
- Corporate officers, attorneys, and incorporation agentsImposes criminal penalties of up to five years imprisonment and fines for intentionally establishing or using a corporate entity to conceal prohibited political spending by foreign nationals (Sec. 105(a)).
- Sponsors of political ads and prerecorded callsRequires political advertisers to include audio or video leadership approval statements and list their top two (for audio) or top five (for video and digital) donors giving $10,000 or more on communications and prerecorded phone calls (Sec. 402(a), Sec. 403).
- Comptroller General (GAO)Mandates conducting quadrennial studies and reporting to congressional committees on illicit foreign spending in federal elections through 2036 (Sec. 102).
- Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)Requires sharing information with the FEC to support campaign finance enforcement and consulting on a joint enforcement report to Congress (Sec. 203).
Who opposes it
- Foreign nationals, governments, and registered foreign agentsExpands the prohibition on political spending to bar foreign entities and agents from funding state and local ballot initiatives, broadcast or online election ads, issue ads on major platforms, federal judicial nomination campaigns, or making transfers to domestic spending groups (Sec. 101, Sec. 103, Sec. 104, Sec. 204).