Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) and a variety of other grassroots lobbying groups are working against provisions within the Lobbying Transparency and Accountability Act (S. 2128) that could harshly punish nonprofit organizations in a misguided effort to prevent further lobbying scandals on Capitol Hill. 

In response to mounting concerns, brought about in large part from recent disclosures about the vast corruption of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) introduced a bill to hold lawmakers and lobbyists accountable for their dealings.  McCain’s original legislation included provisions to regulate grassroots organizations.

After hearing concerns regarding the inclusion of grassroots lobbyists in S. 2128, Sen. McCain removed the language.   However, Sens. Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut) and Carl Levin (D-Michigan) added a regulatory amendment that would force grassroots organizations to disclose their activity to a yet-unknown federal entity.

The bill and the amendment passed 10-6 out of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on March 3.

“The foundation of how CWA and similar organizations operate is at stake in this legislation,” said CWA’s Director of Government Relations, Lanier Swann.  “It is inappropriate for lawmakers to punish citizen-oriented groups who have done nothing wrong.  We will continue to work against the legislation that could forever hurt citizens around the country who have faithfully lobbied from home for years.”

The controversy regarding S. 2128 has continued to heat up.  On March 10, the Senate voted against cloture on the bill, which means that it is still up for debate and could be changed. 

This window is a remarkable opportunity for CWALAC’s grassroots members to get involved and insure that the government doesn’t impede their ability to receive and respond to timely information from us regarding key issues and legislation.

Take action: Call your U.S. senators and encourage them to exclude grassroots organizations from being punished in lobbying reform legislation. Senate Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Click here to read Lanier Swann’s article about lobby reform, which first appeared on Human Events Online.