[Thanks, Ladonna, for keeping us updated on this crisis on Capital Hill!]


To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary Bauer*

*"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!

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