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Gov. Perdue Signs N.C. Response to Citizens United Decision

By Bryan Warner
Published: Aug. 2, 2010

RALEIGH - Today at the State Capitol, Gov. Bev Perdue signed into law North Carolina’s response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning state and federal limits on corporate spending in elections.

Handed down in January, the 5-4 decision in Citizens United vs. FEC reversed decades of restrictions on corporations and labor unions spending money directly from their treasuries to influence the outcome of elections. The ruling leaves in place a ban on corporations and unions giving directly to candidates or coordinating expenditures with their campaigns.

In the wake of the High Court decision, the N.C. General Assembly approved HB748 before it adjourned in July, requiring corporations who engage in independent election spending to disclose their expenses in a similar manner as candidates running for office. The statute also provides guidance on when expenditures are truly independent and not coordinated with a campaign.

“The First Amendment of the Constitution was designed to ensure robust political debate. A big part of that is being able to evaluate the speaker,” said Damon Circosta, executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education. “This law says that if a corporation or union is going to enter the fray, then you have to give the public some idea of how much you are spending.”

Perdue’s signing of the measure comes just days after the DISCLOSE Act -- the federal response to the Citizens United decision -- stalled in the U.S. Senate, but with proponents vowing to take up the bill again later this year.