회사의 정치관련 지출에 대한 문제에 있어서는 원래 회사에 표현의 자유가 인정되는가 하는 인권향유주체성의 문제나 권리능력의 문제에 더하여, 정치활동을 위하여 지출을 하는 경우 그 결정권은 누구에게 있고, 어느 정도까지 허용되는가 하는 회사재산의 용도에 관한 지배구조의 문제까지, 여러 영역에 걸쳐 논의되어 온 것이 사실이다. 본고에서는 현실문제로서 회사가 행하고 있는 정치관련 지출에 미국의 회사법이 어떻게 대응하여 왔는지에 초점을 맞추어, 이사회의 권한 범위 내로 포섭된 사항에 대한 지배구조 구축의 과정을 탐색하는 것을 목적으로 한다.
이를 위하여 연방선거운동자금법상의 규제를 개설한 다음, 2010년에 있었던 Citizens United 판결을 회사법에 대한 영향이라는 시점에서 소개한다. 그리고 당해 판결이 있은 후 여러 입법제안, 회사의 대응, 주주의 반응을 바탕으로 회사의 정치관련 지출의 규제를 둘러싼 움직임을 정리한다.
Citizens United 판결에서는 자신의 의사에 반하는 정치적 표현에 회사재산을 통하여 지출이 강제된다는 점에서 주주를 보호할 필요가 있다는 주장에 대해서도 이는 지배구조상의 절차를 통하여 달성할 수 있다고 보고, 지출규제에 의하지 않고 개시규제를 적극적으로 지지하는 자세를 보여주고 있는 바, 이를 계기로 이루어진 여러 입법적인 움직임은 우리에게 많은 시사를 주리라 생각한다.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has been facing mounting pressure from certain members of Congress, interest groups and investors to require companies to disclose their political spending. Last year, for example, 44 Democratic Senators wrote a letter to SEC, urging the SEC to promulgate a rule requiring issuers to disclose how they use corporate resources for political activities.
As part of its Disclosure Effectiveness Initiative, the SEC is currently soliciting public comment on whether to require disclosure of public policy issues, including political spending, though it has previously declined to require such disclosure, concluding that, absent a congressional mandate, “it generally is not authorized to consider the promotion of goals unrelated to the objectives of the federal securities laws when promulgating disclosure requirements.” Given comments made by Chair White during her tenure, suggesting that disclosure of political contributions does not appear to be in furtherance of the SEC’s mission, and in light of the fact that Congress recently prohibited the SEC from promulgating a rule requiring political spending disclosure for the rest of the fiscal year, it is unlikely the SEC will issue such a rule in the near future. In the absence of an SEC rule, investors seeking disclosure of issuers’ political contributions and/or lobbying payments and policies have continued to try to affect change through private ordering, submitting shareholder proposals on the issue.
There is a real possibility of lasting damage to numerous companies’ reputations and bottom lines. That damage could spring from three primary sources: new approaches to corporate political expenditures, lack of control over political spending made by trade associations and other groups on behalf of member companies, and a lack of transparency around political contributions.
Until recently, most companies engaged in political giving through direct contributions to candidates via the political action committee (PACs). Nearly every PAC is governed by a team of the company’s executives who follow guidelines approved by the board of directors or legal counsel. Under federal law, these contributions are limited to $5,000 per candidate, per election. In other words, most corporate political giving was defined in scope and followed a clear set of policies.
A company’s ability to exercise clear governance over its political giving began to lessen in 2010 following the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. As a result of Citizens United, corporations and labor unions are able to make unlimited independent expenditures in support of or opposition to political candidates.
Thus, as corporate leaders look back on the 2012 election cycle with an eye to future political activity, they will be well served to closely assess the level of control they have over how their company’s money is being spent – and how those expenditures are communicated internally and externally. Companies that exert direct control over corporate giving and embrace transparency are much more likely to ensure that strategic political contributions achieve the intended positive impact.