Senate Drops Grassroots Lobbying Restrictions

By Ethan Cole, Christian Post Reporter Friday, January 19, 2007

The U.S. senate passed an ethics and lobby reform bill on Thursday that omitted the grassroots lobbying restrictions much feared by churches and non-profits.

In a 96-2 vote, S.1 was passed without Section 220, which would require organizations including churches and Christian advocacy groups to register if it met the criteria of a “grassroots lobbying” firm.

“This provision was an unconstitutional attempt to silence and punish Americans for encouraging citizens to be involved in the political process.,” said Concerned Women for America’s president, Wendy Wright, in a statement on Friday.

Wright said grassroots organizations provide important information to citizens to help them talk to their elected representatives.

“Placing restrictions and unfair limitations on these efforts would be an assault on the freedom of speech and the representative government we cherish,” she added.

Both liberal groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and conservative groups such as the Traditional Values and American Center for Law and Justice criticized the restriction saying that it violates the rights to freedom of speech and the right of citizens to speak to their congressmen.

“I am pleased we were able to stop this breach of the First Amendment masquerading as lobbying reform,” said the Rev. Louis Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, according to CNSNews.

Traditional Values Coalition has about 43,000 member churches that would have been severely affected by the Section 220. Sheldon said literally tens of thousands of these churches notify their congregants each week through mailing lists and bulletins to take certain advocacy actions.

Congregants are not lobbyists though, says Sheldon, who noted that 99.9 percent of the people in the coalition never “interface in the hall of Congress” compared to registered lobbyists who talk to members on legislation.

Advocacy events such as March for Life, an annual grassroots pro-life rally on Jan.22, would be affected by the provision if it passed.

The restriction was dropped when the Senate voted 55-43 in favor of an amendment by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, to remove the grassroots lobbying provision from the bill.

“CWA, along with other grassroots organizations and citizen activists across America, will continue our efforts to promote and instill family values in our society," concluded Wright.