OLYMPIA – In an effort to shine light on special interest dark money in political campaigns, the House passed the DISCLOSE Act (HB 1807) with a 51-47 vote. Introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Mike Pellicciotti (D—Federal Way), the DISCLOSE Act would require disclosure of those who donate large money to 501(c)(4) organizations that participate in political activities.
“This is a great step to bring transparency in politics,” said Pellicciotti after the bill’s passage. “By requiring these groups to disclose who is behind their activities, voters will have a better understanding of who is behind special interest campaign ads.”
The Disclose Act would require associations that give money to state and local political campaigns to disclose their top ten contributors and individual contributions over $100,000. Currently, some organizations can fund undisclosed money into political campaigns. This bill brings bright-line clarity for these organizations and invites appropriate public scrutiny into their activities.
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