// Update - Passage of DISCLOSE Act an Assault on Freedom of Speech. On to the Senate. Keep watching.

From the Center for Competitive Politics (via Shopfloor):

The Manager’s Amendment to the DISCLOSE Act, slated for a Thursday floor vote in the House, seems to contain a glaring carve out for the benefit of labor unions, according to a quick analysis by House Administration Committee staff.

Shopfloor goes on:

The Brady amendment would exempt from reporting requirements transfers between affiliated entities up to $50,000 (p. 10). Even more beneficial to labor unions the bill now reads that if the transferred amount is attributable to individual dues paid on a regular basis then the transfer amount is attributable to the individual rather than the organization (p. 14-15). The average amount of individual, annual dues ($377) is well below the bill’s threshold of $600 for mandated disclosure.

So, in effect, unions would be able to shift unlimited amounts of money around through various affiliated entities and never have to report or disclose any of it. The definition of “affiliate” includes two organizations that are affiliated with the same organization, so the shell game possibilities are endless.

To the LA Times:

...the [Disclose] act has also faced criticism from liberal groups that object to the horse-trading that has taken place to put the bill in a position to pass the House...The exemption for large, established national groups neutralized a potential NRA attack, which would have had most moderate and "blue dog" Democrats running for cover...The special-interest exemption doesn't sit well with organizations such as the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, which opposes corporate influence in elections. "We continue to really like the heart of the bill, but want to see the carve-out stripped out," said U.S. PIRG's Lisa Gilbert. She called the exemption "ironic."

Actually carve-out should be plural:

Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who has been a prime Republican sponsor of campaign finance measures in the past, also said he opposes the bill. “I’m very disturbed. It basically gives free rein to the unions,” McCain said.

U.S. PIRG...John McCain...opposition is from everywhere:

House liberals revolted last week after an exemption was tailored for the National Rifle Association (NRA). Authors of the legislation later widened the provision to exempt other groups, but the change did not satisfy all members’ concerns. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who led efforts to amend the NRA exemption, took to the floor Wednesday morning to protest the final version of the bill.

"As an early co-sponsor of Disclose, I am dismayed that we’ve fallen prey to bullying and threats from one of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the country," Edwards said. "Carving out an exception on behalf of one big group like this is just not the way to do reform. Shame on us."

Actually, this entire "outrageous abuse of power by a majority" is an exercise in shame.