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.

While legislators were leaving Washington and families across America spent time celebrating the holidays, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continued to issue rules and contemplate regulations. Several issues received little attention from media and lawmakers despite their potentially significant impact on the nation’s public health and welfare. Here is a brief summary of some of EPA's work during late December and early January.

Susan Dudley is likely to be named as a senior consultant in OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), according to a BNA story published Jan. 8. If true, Dudley would be in a position to influence OIRA decisions about regulations across all government agencies. Dudley was nominated by President Bush in 2006 to be the administrator of OIRA to replace John Graham, who resigned in February of that year. Thanks to widespread opposition from the public interest community, Capitol Hill, and individuals, the Senate failed to hold a vote on her nomination before the end of the 109th Congress because she lacked sufficient support in committee.