Venable partner Ron Jacobs was recently quoted in an Association Trends story about President Obama's proposed executive order regarding the Disclosure Act.
Jacobs said the following regarding the executive order: "Associations will likely face requests by their members to segregate funds used for independent expenditures and electioneering communications so that member companies do not have to disclose contributions to the association when bidding for government contracts. This could make it harder for associations to make independent expenditures and be involved in the political process. It may also chill individual officers and directors who decide not to exercise their right to support independent expenditures for fear that disclosure of such contributions will hurt their company's chance at a contract."
Jacobs said the following regarding the executive order: "Associations will likely face requests by their members to segregate funds used for independent expenditures and electioneering communications so that member companies do not have to disclose contributions to the association when bidding for government contracts. This could make it harder for associations to make independent expenditures and be involved in the political process. It may also chill individual officers and directors who decide not to exercise their right to support independent expenditures for fear that disclosure of such contributions will hurt their company's chance at a contract."