State lawmakers are seriously considering legislation that would for the first time mandate 501(c)4 nonprofits that spend money trying to influence elections to disclose their donors, an idea that has garnered support from both Democratic and Republican leaders.
The move comes in the wake of unprecedented spending by nonprofit groups in Iowa and around the country. A recent report found that tax-exempt groups spent $132.5 million across the country in the last election cycle. In Iowa, the two most active groups were Des Moines-based American Future Fund (AFF) and its sister organization The Progress Project (formerly Iowa Future Fund and Iowa Progress Project). In addition to spending nearly $10 million supporting Republicans in Congressional races from Texas to Michigan, AFF spent more than $1 million trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa). The Progress Project, which focuses on state-level races, launched ads attacking Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller and Gov. Chet Culver.
Because both groups are registered as 501(c)4 nonprofits, they are not regulated by the Federal Elections Commission or the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. And unlike other politically active organizations, they are also not mandated to disclose where they got their funding.
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Complete article at Iowa Politics : http://ainn.ly/ftUGXY
