Southern Company: Request for Report on Political Spending
Resolved, shareholders of The Southern Company (the "Company") hereby request the Company to prepare and semiannually update a report, which shall be presented to the pertinent board of directors committee and posted on the Company’s website, that discloses the Company’s–
(a) Policies and procedures for making political contributions and expenditures (both direct and indirect) with corporate funds, including the board (and pertinent board committee’s) role in that process, and
(b) Monetary and non-monetary political contributions or expenditures that could not be deducted as an “ordinary and necessary” business expense under section 162(e) of the Internal Revenue Code; this would include (but not be limited to) contributions to or expenditures on behalf of entities organized and operating under sections 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, as well as the portion of any dues or payments that are made to any tax-exempt organization (such as a trade association) and that are used for an expenditure or contribution that, if made directly by the Company, would not be deductible under section 162(e) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The report shall be made available within 12 months of the annual meeting and identify all recipients and the amount paid to each recipient from Company funds.
Supporting Statement
As long-term Southern Company shareholders, we support transparency and accountability in corporate spending on political activities. Disclosure is in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders. The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United recognized the importance of disclosure when it said: “[D]isclosure permits citizens and shareholders to react to the speech of corporate entities in a proper way. This transparency enables the electorate to make informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages.”
The Southern Company contributed at least $1 million in corporate funds since the 2004 election cycle. (CQ: http://moneyline.cq.com and National Institute on Money in State Politics: http://www.followthemoney.org)
We acknowledge that our Company discloses a policy on corporate political spending and its contributions to state-level candidates, parties and committees on its website. We believe this is deficient because the Company will not disclose the following expenditures made for political purposes:
A complete list of trade associations to which it belongs and how much it gave to each; and
Payments to any organization incorporated under the section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Service codes.
Information on indirect political engagement through trade associations and 501(c)4 groups cannot be obtained by shareholders unless the Company discloses it. This proposal asks the Company to disclose all of its political spending, direct and indirect. This would bring our Company in line with a growing number of leading companies, including Edison International, Ameren and Noble Energy, which support political disclosure and accountability and present this information on their websites.
The Company’s Board and its shareholders need comprehensive disclosure to be able to fully evaluate the political use of corporate assets. We urge your support for this critical governance reform.
Resolution Details
Company:
Southern Company
Co-lead Filers:
As You Sow and Clean Yield
Year: 2016
Filing Date:
December 2015
Initiative(s):
Status: Withdrawn; Company will address