Subject: End of Day -- 1/10/2007

To:   Friends and Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer, Chairman

      Campaign for Working Families

Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2007

"Stop Bothering Me!"

That's the message members of Congress are sending to the American people with a proposed lobbying reform bill under consideration right now.  In a symbolic gesture reacting to the Abramoff scandals, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the lobbying reform legislation the first bill on the calendar.  But S. 1 contains a provision that appears aimed directly at the American people.  Seeking to silence criticism, section 220 of S. 1 includes burdensome new reporting requirements for grassroots organizations that attempt to inform the American people about the important issues under debate in Congress.  Any communication, such as this daily report, to more than 500 people that seeks to stimulate grassroots lobbying, defined as "the voluntary efforts of members of the general public to communicate their own views on an issue to federal officials," would have to be reported to the government.  Failure to do so could result in huge fines, which could bankrupt many pro-family organizations. 

While I'm not opposed to transparency in government, the reasoning behind this provision is extremely obtuse.  Members of Congress are simply sick and tired of hearing from you, and they are hoping that groups like ours will stop asking you to call and email if we are faced with endless reporting requirements and draconian fines.  So, even though Jack Abramoff has gone to jail, some politicians in Congress are trying to use "lobbying reform" as an excuse to silence the American people!

http://www.cwfpac.com/