Sunlight Foundation

Sunlight Foundation Blog

  • Who Placed a Secret Hold on Sunlight?

    Yet again an anonymous Senator has placed a secret hold on legislation that would increase transparency. This time a secret hold has been placed on a bill, S. 223, that would mandate that Senators file their campaign finance reports electronically. This process would not only make these reports more readily available to the public but would also save money and resources.

    Yesterday this bill was blocked by an anonymous Senator who placed a secret hold on the bill. Secret holds are so looked down on these days that earlier this year the Senate itself banned the practice, although the bill containing that provision has yet to become law. But until secret holds are banished forever, we need your help in exposing the culprit who is blocking consideration of the electronic filing requirement for Senate campaign finance reports.

    We need your help to find out who placed this secret hold! Call your Senators and ask them if they are the one with the secret hold on S. 223. Then report back here in the comments with your findings or contact us using this contact form. Below is a list of Senators, organized by state, and their contact info. If a Senator issues a denial we will indicate that next to their name.


    Senator Contact Secret Hold?
    Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) (202) 224-5744 NO
    Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) (202) 224-4124 NO
    Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) (202) 224-3004 NO
    Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) (202) 224-6665 NO
    John McCain (R-Arizona) (202) 224-2235 NO
    Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) (202) 224-4521  
    Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) (202) 224-4843 NO
    Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas) (202) 224-2353  
    Dianne Feinstein (D-California) (202) 224-3841 NO
    Barbara Boxer (D-California) (202) 224-3553  
    Wayne Allard (R-Colorado) (202) 224-5941 NO
    Ken Salazar (D-Colorado) (202) 224-5852 NO
    Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut) (202) 224-2823  
    Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut) (202) 224-4041  
    Joseph Biden (D-Delaware) (202) 224-5042  
    Thomas Carper (D-Delaware) (202) 224-2441 NO
    Bill Nelson (D-Florida) (202) 224-5274 NO
    Mel Martinez (R-Florida) (202) 224-3041  
    Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia) (202) 224-3521 NO
    Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia) (202) 224-3643 NO
    Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) (202) 224-3934  
    Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) (202) 224-6361  
    Larry Craig (R-Idaho) (202) 224-2752 NO
    Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) (202) 224-6142  
    Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) (202) 224-2152 NO
    Barack Obama (D-Illinois) (202) 224-2854 NO
    Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) (202) 224-4814 NO
    Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) (202) 224-5623 NO
    Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) (202) 224-3744 NO
    Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) (202) 224-3254  
    Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) (202) 224-6521 NO
    Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) (202) 224-4774  
    Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) (202) 224-2541 NO
    Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky) (202) 224-4343 NO
    Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) (202) 224-5824 NO
    David Vitter (R-Louisiana) (202) 224-4623  
    Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) (202) 224-5344  
    Susan Collins(R-Maine) (202) 224-2523 NO
    Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) (202) 224-4654 NO
    Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) (202) 224-4524  
    Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) (202) 224-4543 NO
    John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) (202) 224-2742 NO
    Carl Levin (D-Michigan) (202) 224-6221  
    Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) (202) 224-4822  
    Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota) (202) 224-5641 NO
    Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) (202) 224-3244 NO
    Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) (202) 224-5054  
    Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) (202) 224-6253  
    Christopher S. Bond (R-Missouri) (202) 224-5721 NO
    Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) (202) 224-6154 NO
    Max Baucus (D-Montana) (202) 224-2651  
    Jon Tester (D-Montana) (202) 224-2644 NO
    Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) (202) 224-4224  
    Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) (202) 224-6551 NO
    Harry Reid (D-Nevada) (202) 224-3542  
    John Ensign (R-Nevada) (202) 224-6244  
    Judd Gregg (R-New Hampshire) (202) 224-3324  
    John E. Sununu (R-New Hampshire) (202) 224-2841 NO
    Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) (202) 224-3224 NO
    Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) (202) 224-4744 NO
    Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico) (202) 224-6621 NO
    Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) (202) 224-5521  
    Charles Schumer (D-New York) (202) 224-6542  
    Hillary Clinton (D-New York) (202) 224-4451  
    Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina) (202) 224-6342 NO
    Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) (202) 224-3154 NO
    Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota) (202) 224-2043  
    Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) (202) 224-2551  
    George Voinovich (R-Ohio) (202) 224-3353 NO
    Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) (202) 224-2315 NO
    James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) (202) 224-4721 NO
    Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) (202) 224-5754 NO
    Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) (202) 224-5244 NO
    Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) (202) 224-3753 NO
    Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) (202) 224-4254 NO
    Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pennsylvania) (202) 224-6324 NO
    Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) (202) 224-4642  
    Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) (202) 224-2921  
    Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) (202) 224-5972 NO
    Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) (202) 224-6121 NO
    Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) (202) 224-5842 NO
    John Thune (R-South Dakota) (202) 224-2321  
    Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) (202) 224-4944 NO
    Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) (202) 224-3344 NO
    Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) (202) 224-5922 NO
    John Cornyn (R-Texas) (202) 224-2934 NO
    Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) (202) 224-5251 NO
    Robert Bennett (R-Utah) (202) 224-5444 NO
    Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) (202) 224-4242 NO
    Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) (202) 224-5141 NO
    John Warner (R-Virginia) (202) 224-2023  
    Jim Webb (D-Virginia) (202) 224-4024 NO
    Patty Murray (D-Washington) (202) 224-2621  
    Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) (202) 224-3441  
    Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) (202) 224-3954 NO
    Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia) (202) 224-6472 NO
    Herbert Kohl (D-Wisconsin) (202) 224-5653 NO
    Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) (202) 224-5323 NO
    Craig Thomas (R-Wyoming) (202) 224-6441 NO
    Michael Enzi (R-Wyoming) (202) 224-3424 NO
    Secret Hold Placed on Senate Electronic Filing Bill  A Hold is a Hold. Keeping Calling. →