Disclose Donors to Presidential Libraries

UPDATE: On Sept. 15, 2015 the Center for Responsive Politics joined 14 other organizations in signing on to letters (one directed to House leadership, another to Senate leadership) calling for an immediate vote in support of H.R. 1069 and S. 558. These resolutions, as described below, are designed to spread transparency to the process of funding presidential libraries.

With speculation still abounding over which Chicago university President Obama will choose for his presidential library, one thing we know is that we'll have very little information about who's funding it. That's because, though disclosure of campaign contributions has long been required, disclosure of donations to a presidential library still are not.

Under current law, the libraries are built with private funds, then turned over to the National Archives to administer with a mix of public and private money. The private money can be raised in any amount and from any source, including foreign governments and people or corporations seeking government favors. But there are no disclosure requirements; the donors' identities remain secret.

That's a problem, given that sitting presidents can begin fundraising for their own libraries long before they leave office.

Example: In 2001, in the waning days of his presidency, then-President Bill Clinton pardoned billionaire fugitive Marc Rich, whose ex-wife, Denise, had given at least $450,000 to Clinton's presidential library fund. A federal investigation resulted in no charges, but the scandal highlighted the potential for corruption presented by the libraries.

For that reason, the public should know who's donating to these libraries that stand as enduring monuments to the nation's chief executives, as well as destinations for tourists and resources for scholars. A 2007 law requires the names of donors who are federally registered lobbyists to be disclosed, and since Hillary Clinton's nomination in 2009 to be secretary of state, the Clinton Foundation, which helps underwrite the operating costs of the Clinton Library, has been disclosing the names of all $200-and-up donors.

Obama Foundation officials have released some information about contributors to the library, but the list contains only names of donors (no other identifiers) and broad ranges for the size of each gift. It's not searchable or downloadable, either.

We think that's not enough.

The Center for Responsive Politics has advocated disclosure of presidential library donors for years -- and now members both the Senate and the House have introduced bills to require it.

On Feb. 25, 2015, Rep. John Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.) introduced the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act (H.R. 1069). Duncan has introduced library disclosure bills in the House for more than a decade; they've passed three different times, only to die in the Senate. Duncan's current bill would require fundraising organizations for the libraries to submit quarterly reports detailing all donations of $200 or more, with criminal penalties for falsified information. The National Archives would be required to make the reports public via a searchable, sortable and downloadable database. This bill has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

A companion bill was introduced in the Senate on the same day. Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.) introduced S.558, which, like H.R. 1069, would require all donations of $200 or more to be disclosed to the National Archives on a quarterly basis; the Archives would make them public. In 2014, this bill was reported favorably, without amendment, out of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, but was never brought to the floor for a vote.

How you can help

Contact your senators and House member and voice your support for this important legislation. Ask them to cosponsor this bill with Sen. Carper, in the Senate, and Rep. Duncan, in the House.

Some sample text to use or guide your message for senators: "I support S. 2640, the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act. As your constituent, I respectfully urge you to take a stand for transparency and sign on as a co-sponsor of this important bill."

For House members, you can use similar language but substitute H.R. 558.

Thanks for helping us work toward a more transparent democracy!