Rep. Mullin Reintroduces Bill to End Dark Money in American Elections

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Kevin Mullin (CA-15) joined 184 of his Democratic colleagues in reintroducing the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act, legislation to end the scourge of dark money in our democracy, shine a bright light on who is influencing our politics, and make government more accountable. The bill is sponsored by all 47 senators who caucus with Democrats, and 139 Democrats in the House.

"Our democracy works best when voters know who is trying to influence their decisions at the ballot box," Mullin said. "I'm proud to cosponsor this critical legislation to expand transparency in campaign spending, including digital and influencer-based political advertising. When I served in the California State Assembly, I authored the nation's first DISCLOSE Act, requiring political advertisements to reveal their funders. Strengthening campaign finance laws is essential to protecting our elections and safeguarding every American's fundamental right to vote."

Since the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision, undisclosed spending in U.S. elections by corporations, ultra-rich ideological extremists, and secretive front groups has exploded. These dark-money expenditures that corrupt our politics increased from less than $5 million in 2006 to more than $300 million in the 2012 election cycle, and topped $1.9 billion in 2024, shattering the previous record of $1 billion in 2020.

The DISCLOSE Act would restore transparency in American elections and restore fairness and accountability in our political system by:

• Requiring super PACs, 501(c)(4) "dark money" groups, corporations, and other organizations spending more than $10,000 in elections and on judicial nominations to promptly disclose donors who contribute more than $10,000;
• Shutting down the use of transfers between organizations to cloak the identity of the original contributor;
• Strengthening prohibitions against foreign actors participating in election spending in the United States, including in state and local referenda;
• Prohibiting the establishment of corporations to conceal election contributions and donations by foreign actors;
• Expanding "stand by your ad" disclosure requirements to online ads and ads that may promote or attack a candidate but stop short of expressly advocating for or against a candidate;
• Requiring payments made to social media influencers to promote or oppose a candidate be disclosed; and
• Requiring identification of top funders of outside groups paying for video, text, or audio political ads.

A summary of the DISCLOSE Act of 2026 can be found here. The House bill text can be found here, and the Senate bill text can be found here.

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