Several legal experts, including Herzig, noted a potential downside to allowing churches to operate like political action committees: Because churches are not required to make the same disclosures as PACs, campaign funding funneled through churches could be less transparent.
According to Mary Engle, head of the FTC's Division of Advertising Practices, a professional photographer like Anthony Danielle wouldn't be subject to the same disclosure requirements as a dentist or dog-walker who happens to have a big Instagram following -- as long as those who encounter his work know that he's a professional photographer.
Representative Christopher Shays, Republican of Connecticut, and Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, want Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to comply with the same disclosure rules as other public companies.
There is even a movement afoot to make corporations' ethical behavior subject to the same disclosure rules as their financial dealings.
Private companies shouldn't necessarily have the same disclosure requirements as public ones, but "it may make sense to have different levels of disclosure" for different types of private firms, says Stein.
The church, like other religious groups in America, is not subject to the same disclosure requirements as other non-profits or private entities.Little is known about the Catholic church's finances outside America.
The controller then has the same disclosure obligations as per usual.
The president who is bound by the same disclosure rules as everyone else but is exempt from being prosecuted for criminal violations of conflicts of interest laws even went a step further, declaring that since he can't be punished if he were to exploit his public office for personal gain, he "can't have a conflict of interest" at all.
CHAI was spun off as a separate legal entity that year, but the officials acknowledged it still remains subject to the same disclosure agreement as the foundation.
