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CPA Press Releases

Sep 25, 2012 2012 CPA-Zicklin Index Press Release September 25, 2012
Although secret political money is surging, many large American companies have voluntarily strengthened their political disclosure and accountability policies and practices, according to an annual benchmarking study released today. In the first full election cycle... more

Mar 21, 2012 Political Disclosure Hits 100 Companies In a major milestone, 100 companies have adopted disclosure and oversight of their political spending. This comes as 12 additional companies embraced the corporate governance standard, the Center for Political Accountability announced today. The companies which took this step as the 2012 proxy... more

Jan 6, 2012 CPA Letter Challenges Wall Street Journal Attacks on Political Disclosure January 6, 2012
The Center for Political Accountability responded to recent Wall Street Journal attacks on corporate political disclosure in a letter published in today�s paper. CPA chair John Milton Cooper, Jr. wrote that companies are not being silenced but �are responding to the... more

Oct 28, 2011 CPA-Zicklin Index Press Release October 28, 2011
CPA-Zicklin Index findings indicate corporate disclosure of political spending is now the norm as companies restrict campaign outlays - Rankings produced for disclosure practices of the companies in the S&P 100. more

Dec 15, 2010 Mutual Funds Back Corporate Political Disclosure in 2010 Proxy Season December 15, 2010
Washington, D.C. -- Continuing a strong trend, mainstream mutual funds registered this year the lowest resistance ever to corporate political disclosure resolutions, the Center for Political Accountability reported today. more

Nov 1, 2010 Groundbreaking Corporate Political Activity Handbook Sets Out Emerging Best Practices for Political Spending November 1, 2010
On the eve of the most expensive mid-term election in American history, The Conference Board today released a groundbreaking Handbook on Corporate Political Activity, co-authored by Center for Political Accountability president Bruce F. Freed and counsel Karl Sandstrom with... more

Nov 1, 2010 CPA Finds Solid Business Leader Support for Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability in New Survey November 1, 2010
Washington, D.C. - U.S. business leaders overwhelmingly say they support disclosure and board oversight of corporate political spending, the Center for Political Accountability reported in highlighting a new survey commissioned by the Committee for Economic Development (CED). more

Jun 29, 2010 2010 Proxy Season Results: Record Support for Political Disclosure Sends 'Loud and Clear' Message to Companies June 29, 2010
Washington, DC -- Shareholders registered a record high level of support for corporate political disclosure and accountability this proxy season, the Center for Political Accountability announced. more

Jun 24, 2010 CPA Unveils Database on Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability June 24, 2010
Washington, DC -- The Center for Political Accountability has launched a new corporate political accountability and disclosure database to provide a valuable tool for the media, investors and the public and shed greater light on direct and indirect corporate political... more

May 20, 2010 High Votes Show Strong Support for Political Disclosure May 20, 2010
Washington - The Center for Political Accountability applauds an exceptionally strong show of support for corporate political disclosure and accountability as Goldman Sachs shareholders voted on a resolution for the investment bank to report its trade association payments... more

May 5, 2010 CPA Receives Ceres Award for Its Pioneering Achievements in Corporate Political Accountability May 5, 2010
Washington -- The Center for Political Accountability received yesterday a prestigious award from Ceres and Trillium Asset Management for its pioneering work to establish corporate political disclosure and accountability. more

Apr 22, 2010 Key Milestone Reached as Half of Trend Setting S&P 100 Adopt Political Disclosure April 22, 2010
Washington -- Two new companies have moved to adopt disclosure and oversight of their political spending with corporate dollars. Their action brings to 50, or half, the number of public companies in the trend-setting S&P 100 that have embraced the corporate governance... more

Feb 24, 2010 CPA-CII Write to 427 Top Companies, Urge Adoption of Political Disclosure and Accountability in Response to Citizens United February 24, 2010
Washington, D.C., Feb. 24, 2010 -- The Center for Political Accountability and the Council of Institutional Investors, joined by nearly 50 institutional investors and shareholder advocate groups, today launched a letter campaign to persuade companies in the Standard &... more

Jan 21, 2010 Citizens United decision makes company political disclosure, corporate governance changes even more critical January 21, 2010
Washington DC - �Company disclosure and board oversight of political spending becomes more critical because of the Supreme Court�s sweeping decision allowing unlimited corporate political spending,� the Center for Political Accountability said in a statement. more

Dec 14, 2009 New companies bring political disclosure to nearly half of trend-setting S&P 100 December 14, 2009 Washington DC - Four new companies have agreed to adopt disclosure and board oversight of political spending with corporate funds, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and Newground Social Investment announced today. more

Jul 30, 2009 CPA-Zicklin Center File Amicus Brief Urging Supreme Court to Protect Competition in the Political and Economic Marketplace July 30, 2009
Washington, DC - The Center for Political Accountability and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School warned that lifting long-standing limits on corporate political activity and more recent requirements for... more

Jul 21, 2009 Political disclosure gains new support among S&P100 companies as 2009 proxy season closes July 21, 2009
Washington DC � Four new companies have agreed to adopt disclosure and board oversight of political spending with corporate funds, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and Green Century Capital Management, Inc. announced today. more

Jul 17, 2009 Politico pulls back curtain on the secret funding of 501(c)(4) organizations July 17, 2009
Washington, D.C. -- An article in today's Politico exposed an effort by the American Conservative Union, a leading 501(c)(4) organization, to raise $2 million from private mail carrier FedEx. The group said it would support the company on a controversial piece of... more

Jun 30, 2009 CPA warns that Supreme Court action threatens corporate political accountability, poses serious risk to shareholders June 30, 2009
Washington, DC - The Center for Political Accountability warned today that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on June 29, 2009 ordering a new hearing of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission threatened a tidal wave of undisclosed, unaccounted for money in federal and... more

Apr 23, 2009 40 Percent Vote at Citi Demonstrates Strong Shareholder Support for Political Disclosure April 23, 2009
Washington DC - The Center for Political Accountability hailed the 40 percent vote for a political disclosure resolution at Citigroup Inc.'s annual meeting this past Tuesday as demonstrating surging support for full reporting of the company's political spending. more

Mar 24, 2009 Political disclosure hits 60 companies, including 40 in the trend-setting S&P 100 March 24, 2009
Washington DC - As the 2009 proxy season formally opens, the pace of political disclosure is accelerating as seven new companies from a cross-section of American business have agreed to adopt or expand their disclosure of political spending with corporate funds. This brings to... more...

Feb 26, 2009 CPA, Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research urge Supreme Court to uphold political disclosure February 26, 2009
Washington DC - The Center for Political Accountability and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School called on the U.S. Supreme Court to leave in place long-standing limits on corporate political activity and more... more...

Feb 23, 2009 19 Leading Financial Institutions Receiving TARP Funds Urged to Adopt Political Disclosure February 23, 2009
Washington, D.C. � Warning that "gaps in transparency and accountability" contributed to the current economic crisis, shareholder advocates called on 19 financial companies that received more than $1 billion under the U.S. Treasury Department�s Troubled Asset Relief Program... more...

Jan 16, 2009 Sacramento Bee article highlights ballot measure spending abuses examined in CPA report January 16, 2009
Washington, D.C. -- An article in the Sacramento Bee yesterday highlighted the abuses of candidate-controlled ballot measure committees that were the focus of the Center for Political Accountability's recent Taking Initiative report. more...

Jan 8, 2009 CPA, Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research call mandatory judicial recusal essential to avoid conflicts of interest January 8, 2009
Washington, DC -- To "enable companies to act ethically without sacrificing their right to speak on important public issues," the Center for Political Accountability and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School called... more...

Dec 17, 2008 CPA Report Shows How Corporate Bankrolling of Ballot Measures Distorts Democratic Process and Puts Companies and Their Shareholders at Risk December 18, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- In the wake of one of the most divisive ballot easure battles in American history, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) has completed a comprehensive study of how corporate bankrolling of initiatives can distort the democratic process and... more...

Dec 11, 2008 In About Face, Top Mutual Funds Support Political Disclosure Resolutions in 2008 Proxy Season December 11, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- In a sign of accelerating support from the institutional investor community, at least 13 mutual fund families switched their votes in 2008 to support shareholder resolutions calling on companies to disclose and require board oversight of their political... more

Sep 26, 2008 Politico.com Article Highlights Secret Corporate Political Spending September 26, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- An article in Politico.com this week is a timely reminder of the pervasiveness of secret corporate political spending that the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) has been working to eliminate through its political disclosure effort. more

Jul 28, 2008 CPA Calls on US Chamber of Commerce, new c4 Groups to Disclose Questionable Political Spending July 28, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) called on the Voter Education Committee (VEC), an organization used by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to conceal its funding of political ads in Washington state, to drop its appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court of a... more

May 28, 2008 Political Disclosure Tops 50 Companies May 28, 2008
Washington DC - Reaching a major milestone, the number of companies that have adopted political disclosure and accountability reached 51, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and its shareholder advocate partners announced today. Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU),... more

Apr 21, 2008 Key Proxy Advisor Recommends Vote Against AT&T Management on Political Contributions Disclosure April 21, 2008
Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and Domini Social Investments welcomed the support of RiskMetrics Group (RMG) for Domini's shareholder proposal, which calls on AT&T to publicly disclose and require board oversight of its political contributions. more

Apr 3, 2008 Shareholders Call Information Giant McGraw-Hill Hypocritical for April 3, 2008
Washington, D.C. - As McGraw-Hill shareholders prepare to vote on proxy proposals this April, a shareholder advocate called the information services company "hypocritical" for blocking a political disclosure proposal that has been adopted by 43 other leading U.S. public companies. more

Apr 2, 2008 Recent Developments Highlight Move Toward Secret Political Spending April 2, 2008
Washington, D.C. - Two recent articles highlight continued efforts to hide political spending. One involves a suit by a conservative think tank to overturn West Virginia disclosure requirements for political spending in state races. The other examines the expanded use of... more

Mar 25, 2008 CPA Calls on US Chamber Group to Drop High Court Appeal, End Fight Against Political Disclosure March 25, 2008
Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) called on the Voter Education Committee (VEC), an organization used by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to conceal its funding of political ads in Washington state, to drop its appeal to the U.S. more

Feb 25, 2008 Money, Politics, and the Corporate Agenda Big Business in the Political Process February 25, 2008
A HOT-BUTTON ISSUE FOR MANY AMERICANS, CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT OF CANDIDATES AND CAMPAIGNS OFFERS BOTH RISKS AND CREWARDS. HOW PREVALENT IS CORPORATE POLITICAL ACTIVITY? WHAT POLICIES GOVERN CORPORATE SPENDING? more

Feb 19, 2008 New Companies Bring Number Adopting Political Spending Disclosure to 38 February 19, 2008
Washington, D.C. - In a major expansion of company political disclosure, Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE), United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) and United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) have agreed to report their trade association payments used for political purposes as part of their... more

Jan 8, 2008 CPA Calls on US Chamber of Commerce to Disclose its 2008 Political Spending January 8, 2008
Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) today urged the United States Chamber of Commerce, the nation's premier trade association, to disclose the sources and beneficiaries of the more than $60 million it plans to spend in the 2008 elections. more

Dec 19, 2007 Use of Trade Associations, c4s as Conduits for Secret Political Spending Highlighted by Wall Street Journal December 19, 2007
Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) applauded the Wall Street Journal for highlighting the growing use of trade associations and "social welfare" organizations to hide political spending. In several reports this and last year, the CPA warned... more

Dec 6, 2007 Washington Post Highlights Growth, Danger of Stealth Political Spending Through 501c4s December 6, 2007
Washington, D.C. -- As the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) has been warning, 501(c)(4)s and 501(c)(6)s -- non-profit "social welfare" organizations and trade associations -- are becoming the vehicle for stealth political campaigns. This development was highlighted... more

Nov 15, 2007 Fidelity Shift in 2007 Proxy Season Tips Scales Toward Corporate Political Disclosure November 15, 2007
Washington, D.C. - In an important development, top funds in Fidelity, one of the nation's leading mutual fund families, moved from opposing to abstaining on shareholder resolutions calling for corporate political transparency and accountability in 2007, the Center for... more

Nov 13, 2007 Use of 501c4s for Secret Campaign Spending Underscores Need for Corporate Political Disclosure, CPA Warns November 13, 2007
Washington, D.C. - The emergence of 501(c)(4) groups as major conduits for secret political money in the 2008 elections reinforces the need for public companies to disclose and require board oversight of their political spending, the Center for Political Accountability... more

Sep 26, 2007 Dell, Oracle Latest Companies to Adopt Political Disclosure September 26, 2007
Washington, D.C. -- September 26, 2007. As 2008 proxy season plans get underway, shareholder activists announced today that Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) and Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) have adopted political disclosure and accountability policies. This brings to 33 the number of... more

Sep 20, 2007 CPA Announces New Board Member September 20, 2007
Washington, D.C. -- Shelley Alpern, Vice President and Director of Social Research and Advocacy at Trillium Asset Management, and Michael Petro, Vice President and Director of Business and Government Policy and Chief of Staff of the Committee for Economic Development, have... more

Aug 24, 2007 CPA and the Zicklin Center at The Wharton School to Collaborate on Corporate Governance and Corporate Political Accountability Issues August 24, 2007
Washington, D.C. -- August 24, 2007. The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and the Wharton School's Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research announced today a new collaborative effort on corporate governance and corporate political accountability. more

Apr 4, 2007 Gaining Momentum: Number of Companies Adopting Political Disclosure Hits 31 April 4, 2007
Washington, D.C. - Shareholder activists announced today that 12 new companies have adopted political disclosure and accountability policies, boosting the number to 31. This represents a 63% jump in the past two and a half months. more

Mar 14, 2007 CPA Releases Primer on Corporate Political Spending March 14, 2007
Washington, D.C. -- The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) released today a primer on corporate political spending. As the CPA's primer sets forth, corporate political spending takes various forms. The report provides a definition that covers the most common types of... more

Feb 8, 2007 44 Companies to Face Political Disclosure Shareholder Resolution in 2007 Proxy Season February 8, 2007
Washington, D.C. - Forty-four companies -- a record number -- are expected to vote on political disclosure shareholder resolutions in the 2007 proxy season. Based on Center for Political Accountability (CPA) model proposals urging companies to disclose and require board... more

Jan 24, 2007 In Major Expansion, Four Leading Companies Widen Political Disclosure January 24, 2007
Washington, D.C. -- In a major expansion of company political disclosure, General Electric (NYSE:GE), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) and American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) have agreed to report their trade association payments used for political purposes as part of their... more

Dec 20, 2006 Monsanto, Verizon, General Dynamics Adopt New Policies for Political Spending December 20, 2006
Washington, D.C. - In a major development, three leading public companies -- Verizon (NYSE:VZ), Monsanto (NYSE:MON), and General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) -- have committed to steps that move corporate political disclosure forward. more

Oct 10, 2006 Eight Large Cap Mutual Funds Cast Proxies for Corporate Political Disclosure in 2006 October 10, 2006
Washington, D.C. - October 10, 2006. In a significant shift, eight of 30 "large cap" U.S. equity mutual funds voted for corporate political disclosure resolutions in the 2006 proxy season, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) reported today. Previously, the major... more

Jul 17, 2006 General Mills Joins Companies Disclosing Political Spending, Political Disclosure Resolution Leading Vote-Getter in 2006 Proxy Season July 17, 2006
Washington, D.C. -- General Mills (NYSE: GIS) became the latest major company to agree to disclosure and board oversight of its corporate political contributions. The company's move came at the close of the most successful proxy season yet for corporate political disclosure.... more

May 15, 2006 CPA Report Call Trade Associations "Swiss Bank Accounts" for American Politics, Hiding and Spending Corporate Political Funds and Heightening Risks for Shareholders May 15, 2006
Washington, D.C. - In a report released today, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) called trade associations "the Swiss bank accounts of American politics" for their role in helping companies conceal and spend over $100 million in corporate funds. This spending, the... more

Apr 6, 2006 McDonald's, Southern Co. Latest Companies to Adopt Political Transparency and Accountability April 6, 2006
Washington, D.C. - McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) and Southern Co. (NYSE:SO) agreed to disclose and have their directors oversee soft money political contributions made with corporate funds, shareholder activists announced today. The groups, Washington-based Center for Political... more

Apr 5, 2006 Shareholders See Risky Corporate Political Behavior As Threat to Shareholder Value, Demand Reform, CPA Poll Finds April 5, 2006
Washington, D.C. - An "overwhelming majority" of American shareholders express concern that company political spending 'puts corporations at legal risk and endangers' shareholder value, according to a poll released today. A similar majority want companies to adopt political... more

Mar 20, 2006 Bristol-Myers Squibb and Staples Adopt New Policies for Political Giving, Amgen Board Endorses Political Disclosure Resolution March 20, 2006
Washington, D.C. - Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) and Staples (NASDAQ: SPLS ) agreed to disclose and have their directors oversee soft money political contributions made with corporate funds. In addition, Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) became the first company whose board of directors... more

Dec 16, 2005 Pepsico, Coca Cola, and Eli Lilly Adopt New Policies for Political Giving December 16, 2005
Three join the growing ranks of companies that provide board oversight and public disclosure of soft money contributions. more

Sep 29, 2005 DeLay Indictment Exposes Company, Shareholder Risks from Secret Political Contributions September 29, 2005
Washington, D.C. - The indictment of the No. 2 House leader for Texas campaign finance law violations underscores a much larger problem: undisclosed and unaccountable corporate political contributions invite corruption and threaten shareholder warned Bruce F. Freed,... more

Sep 26, 2005 CPA Finds Big Mutual Funds Continue to Back Companies, Hurt Shareholders by Opposing Corporate Political Disclosure September 26, 2005
Washington, D.C. - Twenty seven of 30 large cap U.S. equity mutual funds voted against political disclosure resolutions the second proxy season, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) reported today. Updating a Common Cause study of mutual fund votes in last year's... more

Jun 15, 2005 Directors Mum on Use of Company Money in Judicial Wars, CPA Survey Finds June 15, 2005
Washington, D.C. -- Directors are strikingly silent as a leading trade association threatens to entangle their companies in the divisive judicial wars, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) found in a survey released today. Indeed, most of the directors queried didn't... more

May 31, 2005 Companies Dodge Social Security Reform But Still Fund Administration Push, CPA Survey Finds May 31, 2005
Washington, D.C. -- A survey released today by the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) found that more large companies are reluctant, in the face of strong public opposition, to support the Bush administration's plans to overhaul Social Security. However, many of these... more

Apr 11, 2005 CPA Asks Companies to Disclose Participation in Social Security Reform Effort April 11, 2005
Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) asked America's largest companies to disclose whether they are spending corporate funds in the Social Security reform debate. The Center's mission is to bring transparency and accountability to corporate... more

Apr 7, 2005 CPA Applauds Two Major Drug Companies for Agreeing to Disclose and Account for their Political Contributions April 7, 2005
Washington, D.C. -- The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) today praised Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Plough for agreeing to disclose and have their board of directors oversee their soft money political contributions. The CPA is leading a nationwide campaign to bring... more

Feb 28, 2005 Directors Strongly Support Corporate Political Spending Disclosure, Question Whether Contributions Help Companies, CPA Poll Finds February 28, 2005
Washington, D.C. - By strong majorities, directors expressed support for a set of reforms to bring greater transparency to corporate political spending. Two thirds (66%) of directors said that recent corporate scandals involving political activities have “damaged the... more

Feb 28, 2005 Five New Companies Agree to Political Disclosure, Including Trade Associations and c4 Payments February 28, 2005
Washington, D.C. -- Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), Washington Mutual (NYSE: WM), Xerox (NYSE: XRX), Capital One (NYSE: COF) and American Express (NYSE: AXP) have agreed to report their payments to trade associations and other tax-exempt groups used for political purposes... more

Feb 15, 2005 Secret Corporate Political Gifts Harm Shareholders, CPA Study Warns February 15, 2005
Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) released today a groundbreaking report that found that corporate secrecy on political contributions harms shareholders by denying them information critical for evaluating management performance and company... more

Dec 15, 2004 CPA Applauds Morgan Stanley for Agreeing to Disclose and Account for its Political Contributions December 14, 2004
Washington, D.C. -- The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) today praised Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Plough for agreeing to disclose and have their board of directors oversee their soft money political contributions. The CPA is leading a nationwide campaign to... more

Dec 9, 2004 CPA Endorses Faith-based Investors Shareholder Resolutions Directors at Pharmaceutical Companies December 8, 2004
The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) strongly endorses a corporate political contribution disclosure and accountability resolution filed at the six major U.S. pharmaceutical companies by faith-based shareholders and their allies. more

May 19, 2004 Center for Political Accountability Urges Companies to Heed Shareholder Demands to Disclose Political Contributions May 19, 2004
Washington, DC - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) today called on corporations to listen to the growing numbers of shareholders calling full disclosure of their political contributions, now that Republicans and Democrats are primed to pressure them to support "527"... more

Apr 29, 2004 Require Altria to Disclose Political Contributions, Center for Political Accountability Urges Company Shareholders April 29, 2004
Washington, DC - A landmark resolution asking the Altria Group to disclose its political contributions and the business reason for making them will be taken up at the company's annual meeting, on Thursday, April 29, in East Hanover, New Jersey. more

Apr 21, 2004 Center for Political Accountability Urges Wells Fargo to Hold Vote on Political Disclosure Resolution April 21, 2004
Washington, DC - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA), a public interest group, urged Wells Fargo & Co.'s CEO today to let shareholders speak at the company's annual meeting on a landmark political disclosure resolution. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April... more

Apr 20, 2004 Letter to the Editor - Omaha World-Herald April 20, 2004
In an Omaha World-Herald article published on April 16, a spokesperson for Union Pacific Corp. claimed that UP's employee-funded political action committee, not the company itself, contributed in the last election cycle to Americans for a Republican Majority (ARM), a... more

Apr 12, 2004 Union Pacific Shareholders Press Company to Disclose Political Contributions April 12, 2004
Washington, DC - As part of a campaign to bring transparency and accountability to corporate political contributions, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) is urging Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) shareholders to support a resolution that asks to disclose and... more

Apr 8, 2004 Center for Political Accountability Urges SEC to Require Corporate Political Disclosure April 8, 2004
Washington, DC - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) has called on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require public companies disclose their political contribution policies and practices. more

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