In a test vote that split the chamber along party lines, Republican Senators stopped a liberal measure authored by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that would require corporate CEO's and union presidents to reveal they paid for political advertising.
The proposed legislation came in response to a Supreme Court ruling on Citizen United v. FEC handed down in December that held a corporation or a union has the same First Amendment rights as any person and is therefore authorized to engage in political speech and electioneering. That is presently disallowed by Federal election laws.
A similar version of the DISCLOSE Act passed the House of Representatives last month.
Representative Chet Edwards of Congressional District 17 voted for the measure.
The law would require interest groups to list all the names of their members unless exempted by the FEC. The National Rifle Association has obtained such an exemption to the proposed legislation.
Democratic Senators vowed to return the bill to the floor of the Senate after the upcoming summer and fall break.
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