Dems plan last-ditch vote on Disclose Act

Democrats plan to rally their troops for the final stretch of the campaign season by bringing up a campaign-finance transparency bill.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) on Tuesday announced plans for a last-ditch vote on the measure, dubbed the Disclose Act. A vote on the bill is expected Sept 23. The legislation is intended to roll back a Supreme Court ruling from earlier this year that lifted spending restrictions on political advertisements by corporations and unions. The bill would require them to disclose the financial backers of a political advertisement within the message. Other, more controversial provisions in the measure include prohibitions on political spending by companies with 20 percent or more foreign ownership and restrictions on ads by some government contractors. The vote is designed to crank up the pressure on Maine GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, two longtime champions of greater limits on campaign finance.