In August of 2011, a group of corporate and securities law experts petitioned the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require publicly traded companies to disclosure their political spending to shareholders.
As the Brennan Center has previously stated, the disclosure of corporate political spending would benefit corporate democracy and the functioning of the market. Responsible investors recognize that their investment decisions must be well-informed, and shareholders have an interest in knowing what their money is being spent on. Since political spending entails risk to the bottom line, investors benefit from having information about it.
In light of recent opposition to this proposed requirement, the Brennan Center submitted comments (below) to the SEC highlighting the benefits of transparency in corporate political spending.
Letter to SEC on Corporate Political Spending Disclosure Requirement