Substantially expands campaign finance disclosure rules under the Federal Election Campaign Act, requiring corporations, labor unions, Super PACs, 501(c)(4) social welfare groups, and other organizations that spend more than $10,000 on campaign-related activity to file public reports within 24 hours, including the names and addresses of donors who gave $10,000 or more and the beneficial owners of the organization. Closes loopholes that currently allow foreign nationals to influence U.S. elections by extending the foreign-money ban to ballot initiatives, online ads, electioneering, and certain transfers between entities, and creates a new federal crime, punishable by up to 5 years in prison, for setting up a corporation specifically to hide foreign campaign money. Requires 'Stand By Every Ad' disclaimers on political ads to identify the top 5 video funders or top 2 audio funders behind a communication, and extends these rules to digital ads and prerecorded political robocalls. Applies the disclosure regime to spending on Federal judicial nominations — currently unregulated under election law — so the public can see who is funding ad campaigns supporting or opposing Supreme Court and lower-court nominees. Creates a single uniform path for constitutional challenges to campaign finance laws, sending them to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with expedited review, and gives any Member of Congress standing to sue or intervene. The new disclosure rules generally take effect January 1, 2027.
Transparency & Accountability
- Campaign-related disclosure threshold — Covered organizations spending over $10,000 must file within 24 hours
- Beneficial-ownership disclosure — Required for non-public-company covered organizations making campaign-related disbursements
- 'Stand By Every Ad' funder identification — Top-five video funders or top-two audio funders named on covered ads
- Federal judicial nomination spending disclosure — Brought under FECA reporting for the first time
- FinCEN coordination with the FEC — Director required to share information needed to enforce the new disclosure regime
Civil Liberties
- Anonymity of donors above $10,000 to covered political-spending organizations — Names and addresses become public within 24 hours
- Anonymity of 501(c)(4) members triggering campaign-related disbursements — Disclosure attaches when the group's spending crosses the threshold
Criminal Justice & Due Process
- Federal criminal penalty for foreign-money laundering through shell entities — New 5-year felony for owners or agents who form a corporation to conceal foreign-national election money
Congressional Summary
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2026 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2026This bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosures of campaign expenditures, and requiring additional disclosures regarding certain political advertisements.Specifically, the bill expands existing foreign money prohibitions to include disbursements for paid web-based or digital communications and federal judicial nomination communications. It also prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to campaigns related to ballot initiatives and referenda.The Government Accountability Office must, for each four-year election cycle, study and report on the incidence of illicit foreign money in federal elections.Next, the bill makes it unlawful to establish or use a corporation, company, or other entity with the intent to conceal an election contribution or donation by a foreign national. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.Covered organizations (e.g., corporations, labor organizations, and political organizations) must, within 24 hours, file reports with the Federal Election Commission to disclose campaign expenditures of more than $10,000 during an election cycle.The bill also requires organizations to provide additional disclosures regarding political advertisements, including the donors who contributed the most money to that organization in the last year.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-03-04
- Date Added
- 2026-04-25
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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