The U.S. House Administration Committee has discussed legislation intended to counter the recent Citizens United Supreme Court ruling allowing unrestricted corporate and union spending in elections. Witnesses in the two panels included two former Federal Election Commission commissioners, campaign finance experts, and law professors. Committee chair Robert Brady (D-PA), a cosponsor of the legislation intends to quickly move the bill to the House floor.

Rep. Mike Capuano (D-MA) introduced a campaign finance bill in March that would require corporations to hold a shareholder vote to approve annual campaign spending. Campaign finance groups have asked that the Capuano language be included in the DISCLOSE Act, but doing so would siphon supporters from the legislation. Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE), who is one of the two Republican cosponsors of the House bill, has said he opposes the Capuano language.

House Republicans overall are unlikely to provide support for the legislation. House Administration member Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said the legislation “is an incumbent protection bill that is intended to stop speech.” The Senate version of the DISCLOSE Act has no Republican cosponsors.