Free Speech For People Denounces Florida Legislature’s Power Grab Against Cities and Counties Posted on May 7, 2021 Challenging Foreign Influence Cities and counties in Florida have long been empowered through principles of home rule to enact their own local campaign finance laws. But the Florida governor recently signed a law, aimed directly at our success in St. Petersburg–where we helped develop and pass a groundbreaking ordinance that bans political spending by foreign-influenced corporations, and limitsRead More
Federal Election Commission Deadlocks 3-3 on Free Speech For People’s Complaint Challenging Citgo’s Illegal Contribution to Trump Inaugural Committee Posted on May 3, 2021 (May 3, 2021) Challenging Foreign Influence The Federal Election Commission divided 3-3 on Free Speech For People’s 2017 complaint against the oil company Citgo, its Venezuelan state-owned parent company, and President Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee. The FEC’s general counsel agreed with Free Speech For People that the companies and the inaugural committee violated a federal ban on donations to inaugural committeesRead More
The Democracy Preservation Act: FSFP Mounting a Challenge Against Foreign Corporate Influence in New York Elections Posted on May 3, 2021 Challenging Foreign Influence Free Speech For People has been at the forefront in the fight to end foreign-influenced corporate campaign spending, researching, drafting, and advocating for legislation on all levels of government. We helped to successfully pass laws in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2017, and in Seattle, Washington in 2020. Seven states (Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, NewRead More
FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein Discusses Foreign-Influenced Corporate Spending On Maine Public Radio. Posted on April 15, 2021 (May 23, 2022) Challenging Foreign Influence Maine Public Radio recently published a segment on foreign-influenced corporate spending in elections which featured FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein. Throughout the segment, Fein discussed the need to fight against foreign influence in Maine, where a contentious ballot measure has prompted a state-wide discussion on the issue of democratic self-government. “Our position is that theRead More
FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein Co-Authors New Oped With John Brautigam In The Lewiston Sun Journal On The Need To Limit Political Spending By Foreign-Influenced Corporations In Maine. Posted on April 7, 2021 (May 23, 2022) Challenging Foreign Influence The Lewiston Sun Journal published a new oped by FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein and Maine Citizens for Clean Elections’ Attorney John Brautigam on the case for limiting political spending by foreign-influenced corporations in Maine. The article states: Most people agree that foreign entities shouldn’t be able to influence our elections. It doesn’t matter whetherRead More
VIDEO: Free Speech For People And Our Fight To End Foreign-Influenced Corporate Spending in Our Elections Posted on March 31, 2021 (April 2, 2021) Challenging Foreign Influence Free Speech For People has been at the forefront in the fight to end foreign-influenced corporate campaign spending, researching, drafting, and advocating for legislation on all levels of government. We helped to successfully pass laws in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2017, and in Seattle, Washington in 2020. Seven states (Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, NewRead More
FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein Submits Testimony on Proposed Bill to Limit Political Spending by Foreign-Influenced Corporations in Colorado. Posted on March 19, 2021 (May 23, 2022) Challenging Foreign Influence On Thursday, March 18, Legal Director Ron Fein submitted written testimony on a proposed bill that could limit political spending by foreign-influenced corporations in Colorado. The bill, SB21-177, provides a productive starting point for comprehensive legislation to challenge foreign-influenced corporations from interfering in Colorado state elections. Fein’s remarks detail a number of amendments that wouldRead More
FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein Discusses The City of Seattle’s Clean Campaigns Act and The Fight to End Political Donations By Foreign-Influenced Corporations on Democracy Nerd. Posted on March 18, 2021 Challenging Foreign Influence FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein recently appeared on Democracy Nerd to discuss the city of Seattle’s Clean Campaigns Act and the fight to end political spending by foreign-influenced corporations. “The Citizens United decision described corporations as associations of citizens, which is not really true of most publicly traded corporations,” said Fein. Last year the SeattleRead More
FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein Discusses Political Spending By Foreign-Influenced Corporations And The Fight To Get Money Out of Our Political System on Maine Challenge. Posted on March 17, 2021 (May 23, 2022) Challenging Foreign Influence FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein recently appeared on Maine Challenge to discuss foreign-influenced corporate spending in elections and the fight to get money out of our political system. “One of the issues that we at Free Speech For People have been working on is this issue of corporate political spending in those cases where theRead More
FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein To Testify On Proposed Bills To Limit Political Spending By Foreign-Influenced Corporations in Maine. Posted on March 15, 2021 (May 23, 2022) Challenging Foreign Influence On Monday, March 15, Legal Director Ron Fein will provide live testimony on a number of proposed bills that could limit political spending by foreign-influenced corporations in Maine. One of the proposed bills, LD 479, provides a productive starting point for comprehensive legislation to challenge foreign-influenced corporations from interfering in Maine state elections. Fein’s remarksRead More