ACTION ALERT: U.S. House of Representatives May Act Soon on Legislation to Curb Rights of Citizen Groups.

WASHINGTON (February 28, 2007)Under pressure from liberal special-interest groups with names like "Democracy 21," "OMB Watch," and "Public Citizen," U.S. House Democratic leaders may soon push for enactment of legislation that could seriously impede the ability of issue-oriented groupssuch as NRLC and NRLC-affiliated organizationsto communicate effectively with both the general public and with government officials.

"These restrictive proposals are being advanced under cover of innocuous-sounding labels such as 'ethics reform' and 'lobbying reform,' but they are really aimed at making policymakers less accountable to ordinary citizens and grassroots-based citizen groups," said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson. "The groups pushing for these restrictions want lawmakers and other government officials to be more responsive to pressure from certain elites, including bosses of liberal foundations, the pro-abortion mainstream news media, and powerful congressional committee chairmen,."

Currently, House Democratic leaders are considering pushing for two different types of new restrictions:

! So-called "grassroots lobbying" limitations. House Democratic leaders may seek legislation that would require, for the first time, registration and reporting by some individuals and groups who engage in efforts to stimulate members of the public to communicate with Members of Congress about pending legislation.

! The so-called "Executive Branch Reform Act" (H.R. 984), authored by Congressmen Henry Waxman (D-Ca.) and Tom Davis (R-Va.), that would require thousands of Executive Branch officials to file quarterly reports listing every letter, e-mail, fax, and verbal communication that they receive from any "private party" in which the communicator "seeks to influence official action by any officer or employee of the executive branch of the United States." The bill defines "private party" as any person other than another government official or staff person.

Either or both of these proposals might be considered as part of an "ethics reform" package that House Democratic leaders are expected to unveil sometime in March, probably in the form of amendments to a bill already passed by the Senate (S. 1). The full House could consider the legislation in late March or in April.

"These proposals would seriously interfere with the activities of groups that keep the public informed about what is going on in Congress, and with the ability of citizen groups to effectively represent the views of their memberships to government officials," Johnson said.