Charities File Friend of Court Brief Supporting Grassroots Lobbying Rights
Apr 3, 2007 by Sam Kim
A group of 17 charities filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Wisconsin Right to Life v. Federal Election Commission on March 23, urging the Court to protect the right of charities to broadcast grassroots educational and lobbying communications. Multiple amicus briefs have been filed on both sides of the case, which challenges the constitutionality of the "electioneering communications" rule in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA). The rule bans broadcasts that refer to federal candidates and are funded by corporations, including charities, 60 days before a general election and 30 days before a primary. The Court will hold oral argument on April 25, and a decision is expected in the summer or early fall, in time to clarify the law before the 2008 elections.
read in fullHouse Proposal for Grassroots Lobbying Disclosure Due Soon
Mar 20, 2007 by Sam Kim
While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) office is still working on the details of grassroots lobbying disclosure as part of a package of Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) reforms, both supporters and opponents have continued to debate the merits of the idea.
read in fullShowdown on Grassroots Lobbying: The Electioneering Communications Rule
Mar 12, 2007 by Kay Guinane
2007 will hopefully see the sun set on a contentious and drawn out battle over the electioneering communications rule as applied to nonprofits. On April 25, 2007 the Supreme Court hears oral argument in Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life (WRTL). The outcome of this case will determine if grassroots lobbying broadcasts by nonprofits can be exempted from the current restrictive federal rules.
read in fullDistortions and Misinformation Continue to Abound in Grassroots Lobbying Disclosure Debate
Mar 7, 2007 by Brian Gumm
WASHINGTON, March 7, 2007—Public statements by opponents of grassroots lobbying disclosure, which would bring transparency to big money grassroots lobbying campaigns, have misled Americans by inaccurately claiming that potential proposals are intended to silence criticism of Congress and are "a plot by Washington insiders" to shut out diverse viewpoints.
read in fullHouse Starts Moving on Lobbying and Ethics Reform
Mar 6, 2007 by Matthew Madia
Lobbying and ethics rules changes are rapidly becoming a focal point of the 110th Congress. Since the Senate passed the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007, the action has moved to the House, where a bill on executive branch lobbying recently passed the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and a Judiciary subcommittee addressed possible changes to the Senate bill.
read in fullGrassroots Lobbying Survey Results Demonstrate Strong Support for Disclosure
Feb 21, 2007 by Matthew Madia
In early February, OMB Watch conducted a week-long Internet survey on federal grassroots lobbying disclosure that asked respondents to express their support or opposition to a variety of disclosure principles. Over 1,100 people responded to the survey, and the results were clear: strong support exists for federal grassroots lobbying disclosure.
read in fullCourt Upholds Wisconsin Group's Right to Air Grassroots Lobbying Ads
Jan 9, 2007 by Matthew Madia
On Dec. 21, 2006, in a victory for grassroots lobbying rights, a federal court ruled that three radio ads Wisconsin Right to Life (WRTL) wished to broadcast in the months before the 2004 election should have been allowed because they did not expressly advocate election or defeat of a federal candidate. The 2-1 decision held that a campaign finance rule banning broadcasts referring to a federal candidate aired during the campaign is unconstitutional as applied to WRTL's lobbying ads, but limited its ruling to the facts of this case. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) and sponsors of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and joined in WRTL's request to expedite the case.
read in fullDemocrats Pledge Ethics Reforms
Nov 21, 2006 by Matthew Madia
Two weeks after the election, attention has turned to considering what the results mean for government priorities and the likely impacts on the way Congress operates. Democratic leaders in the House and Senate are working on an agenda for the 110th Congress that includes ethics and lobbying reform proposals as part of their "100 Hours" initiative. As incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, "We will start by cleaning up Congress, breaking the link between lobbyists and legislation and commit to pay-as-you-go, no new deficit spending."
read in fullLobby Reform Update
Jun 13, 2006 by Guest Blogger
Although GOP leaders are promising a final lobby reform package by the July 4 recess, a group of Republican Senators has broken rank and is threatening to filibuster the lobby reform conference report if it includes a provision expanding regulation of independent 527 organizations.
read in fullLobby Reform Bill Squeaks Through House
May 16, 2006 by Guest Blogger
A lobbying and ethics reform bill that barely passed the House last week is headed to what will likely be a contentious conference between the House and Senate, with lawmakers far from agreement on what to do about legislative earmarks, congressional travel paid by non-governmental entities, and 527 organizations, among other issues.
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