On the second anniversary of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, Trillium Asset Management, LLC and Green Century Capital Management announce that they have filed shareholder resolutions at three companies, Bank of America, 3M & Target Corporation, urging them to refrain from making political donations in the future. This is the first time institutional shareholders [...]

WHEREAS:
Political spending and corporate money in politics is a highly contentious issue, made more prominent in light of the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court case that affirmed companies’ rights to make unlimited political expenditures to independent groups. In the 2012 election year, we expect even more media and public attention to corporate spending to influence [...]

     Resolved, that the shareholders of Chubb Corporation (“Company”) hereby request that the Company provide a report, updated semi-annually, disclosing the Company’s:
 1.    Policies and procedures for political contributions and expenditures (both direct and indirect) made with corporate funds.
 2.    Monetary and non-monetary contributions and expenditures (direct and indirect) used to participate or intervene in any political [...]

Resolved, that the shareholders of Halliburton Corporation (“Company”) hereby request that the Company provide a report, updated semiannually, disclosing the Company’s:
 1.    Policies and procedures for political contributions and expenditures (both direct and indirect) made with corporate funds.
 2.    Monetary and non-monetary contributions and expenditures (direct and indirect) used to participate or intervene in any political campaign [...]

 Resolved, that the shareholders of CenturyLink (“Company”) hereby request that the Company provide a report, updated semiannually, disclosing the Company’s:
 1.    Policies and procedures for political contributions and expenditures (both direct and indirect) made with corporate funds.
 2.    Monetary and non-monetary contributions and expenditures (direct and indirect) used to participate or intervene in any political campaign on [...]

Resolved, that the shareholders of Ford Motor (“Company”) hereby request that the Company provide a report, updated semi-annually, disclosing the Company’s:
 1.    Policies and procedures for political contributions and expenditures (both direct and indirect) made with corporate funds.
 2.    Monetary and non-monetary contributions and expenditures (direct and indirect) used to participate or intervene in any political campaign [...]

         Resolved, that the shareholders of State Street Corporation (“Company”) hereby request that the Company provide a report, updated semi-annually, disclosing the Company’s:
         1. Policies and procedures for political contributions and expenditures (both direct and indirect) made with corporate funds.
         2. Monetary and non-monetary contributions and expenditures (direct and indirect) used to participate or [...]

WHEREAS:
Political spending and corporate money in politics is a highly contentious issue, made more prominent in light of the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court case that affirmed companies’ rights to make unlimited political expenditures to independent groups. In the 2012 election year, we expect even more media and public attention to corporate spending to influence [...]

RESOLVED
that the shareholders of Procter & Gamble (“Company”) hereby request that the Company provide a report, updated semi-annually, disclosing the Company’s:

Policies and procedures for political contributions and expenditures (both direct and indirect) made with corporate funds.
Monetary and non-monetary political contributions and expenditures not deductible under section 162 (e)(1)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code, including [...]

Jonas Kron, JD
In the Winter 2011 issue of Investing For A Better World, our colleague Farnum Brown described shareholder advocacy as version 2.0 on SRI’s (socially responsible investment’s) travels towards 3.0, and discussed the importance of directly pressing companies to improve their environmental and social impacts. Similarly, Amy Domini of Domini Social Investments recently wrote [...]