Senate efforts to restrict nonprofity advocacy

(another post courtesy of the Free Speech Coalition)

Here’s the current situation.

On 5/3/06, the House passed H. R. 4975, the Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act, by a vote of 217-213, mostly along party lines. As passed, the bill does not directly address grassroots lobbying.

On 3/29/06, the Senate had passed S. 2349, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2006. That bill has provisions which regulate grassroots lobbying in several ways. While we have previously sent you a detailed analysis of that bill and several examples of possible application, I will recap briefly.

S. 2349 would: (1) require quarterly instead of semiannual lobby disclosure reports; (2) increase compliance penalties from $50,000 to $100,000; (3)require a lobbyist to identify any organization which contributes more than $10,000 to a lobbyist’s activities in a semiannual period; (4) define a grassroots lobbying effort as one that reaches more than 500 persons and
where more than $25,000 is spent for or by an outside lobbying firm in any quarterly period (As you know, a single one-page ad in a major paper would cost that much!); and (5) define as a grassroots lobbyist an organization that spends any amount of money for in-house grassroots mobilization.

Since the House and Senate bills differ, they will go to a Conference Committee which will attempt to reconcile the differences. We do not yet know who either the Senate or House conferees will be.

There are many problems with the bills, but our main concern now is to ensure the House does NOT agree to include the grassroots lobbying provisions (Title II) of the Senate bill.

ACTION

1. As soon as we learn the identities of the conferees, we will advise you and you can then target your communications. Most likely, the list will include Rep. David Dreier (CA) and Rep. Louise Slaughter (NY), the respective Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee. Both have made prior comments suggesting a willingness to consider new lobbying regulations for nonprofit groups. Also likely conferees include Rep. Vernon Ehlers (MI) and Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (CA), the respective Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Administration Committee, which also has jurisdiction over this bill. Start now generating contacts with these House members.

2. Actually, all House members need to be educated regarding this threat to grassroots operations. We find that they are generally aware of the provisions in a companion bill to regulate “527 organizations,” but are unaware of the grassroots provisions in the Senate version in the current bill. Make them aware that they may soon have to vote on a bill including grassroots regulation. Urge them to speak out against, and vote against, any new regulations on grassroots lobbying. It is the right of the people to petition their elected officials and the Congress must not violate that right.

Dick Dingman

Free Speech Coalition, Inc.
8180 Greensboro Drive, Suite 1070
McLean, Virginia 22102-3860
Phone: (703) 356-6912
Fax: (703) 356-5085
< http://www.freespeechcoalition.org>