May 16, 2013 Dear Mr. Rees: Thank you for contacting me regarding campaign finance reform.

I appreciate the opportunity to respond. In 2002, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) was signed into law. BCRA, which limited political speech and campaign contributions, was partially overturned by the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Citizens United reaffirmed the First Amendment rights of labor unions, non-profit organizations, and corporations to spend their own money to publish books, make films, and otherwise exercise their free-speech rights with regard to political issues and candidates. The Supreme Court reaffirmed Citizens United in a 2012 decision that overturned a Montana law limiting political spending by outside groups. I applaud these two Court decisions, which represent key victories for champions of free speech. They reaffirm that the government should not be in the unconstitutional business of deciding who gets to speak on political matters. We are in no way strengthened when government agencies try to censor or regulate such speech. The best response to political speech with which we disagree is to exercise our own right to speak out on the issues we most care about. I will continue to fight for our basic liberties and oppose any effort to scale back or regulate our constitutional rights. I hope you find this information helpful. For more information on current issues, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Please feel free to contact my office anytime at 202-225-2676 or online atjordan.house.gov with any other questions or concerns you may have. Sincerely, Jim Jordan Member of Congress