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SENATORS BLOCK DEBATE ON DISCLOSE ACT
Voters deserve to know origins of secret money in elections.

Washington, DC – Twice this week, the U.S. Senate refused to allow full debate on the DISCLOSE Act, which would require complete disclosure of spending on big-money advertising in candidate elections. Twice, the Senate failed to invoke cloture, the procedural motion that requires 60 votes before the Senate can even consider legislation.

“Huge sums of secret money are flooding into our elections, and without full disclosure the voters won’t know who is trying to buy influence,” said Elisabeth MacNamara, national President of the League of Women Voters. “Secret money should have no place in our elections, but we all know it is there, drowning out the voices of everyday Americans.”

“Twice this week, our elected leaders in Washington, the men and women who had the power and opportunity to help, failed to take up the DISCLOSE Act. Senators James Inhofe and Tom Coburn should have voted to allow debate on this vital issue,” said Mary Jo Neal, LWV of Oklahoma “Why wouldn’t they allow the full Senate to discuss this issue? This is a sad day for voters and for our democracy. Senators Inhofe and Coburn got it wrong.”

“The League supports the DISCLOSE Act of 2012 because we believe that Americans deserve all the information they can get before they vote,” said MacNamara. “The DISCLOSE Act builds on disclosure requirements already approved by the Supreme Court in Citizens United when it said that disclosure is important to ‘providing the electorate with information.’”

“The League and its partners in the voting rights community will continue to push for passage of DISCLOSE because secret campaign money undermines the role of the voter and corrupts the election process. Tell us where the money is coming from and let the voters decide. The DISCLOSE Act is an important step towards eliminating secret money, and we will not give up,” concluded MacNamara.

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Letter of Support for Healthcare Reform

As concerned citizens and Co-presidents of the League of Women Voters of Oklahoma, we are writing to express support for health care reform.

There are many reasons Oklahomans would benefit from health care reform. For example, Oklahoma businesses and families shoulder a hidden health tax of roughly $1,900 per year on premiums as a direct result of subsidizing the costs of the uninsured.

Our nation faces a health care crisis with skyrocketing costs and an insurance system that leaves many without coverage or unable to get treatment even when covered. According to a study reported in The New England Journal of
Medicine, 70 percent of Americans surveyed believe the health care system needs major changes, if not a complete overhaul.

Health care reform legislation must guarantee quality, affordable health care to all U.S. residents and health care coverage that includes the choice of a quality, affordable public insurance plan. In addition, it is essential that
comparative data on treatments, benefits packages and medical outcomes be made publicly available so that individuals can make informed health decisions.

The current system endangers both our economy and our health. As a nation, we spend $1 out of every $6 we earn on health care. Legislation must provide effective cost controls, equitable distribution of services and allow for
efficient and economical delivery of care.

Achieving this kind of comprehensive, system-wide reform will take a shared effort by citizens and Congress. I ask Senators Inhofe and Coburn and Representatives Sullivan, Boren, Lucas, Fallin, and Cole to support real health care reform.

LWVOK Co-Presidents,

Deborah Langley and Jacqueline Achong