Lobbying-reform legislation is on its way to the House of Representatives, and pro-family groups warn it may include the same restriction on grassroots lobbying the Senate rejected in January.
Amanda Banks, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the House already passed one lobbying bill, but is expected to take the issue up again soon.
"We are anticipating that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will most likely introduce another lobbying-reform bill that will include the grassroots-lobbying provision," she said. "But it's a wait-and-see game at this point."
The provision squelched in the Senate would have mandated burdensome reporting standards for grassroots-lobbying groups and imposed hundreds of thousands of dollars of fines for violations. It was removed after hundreds of thousands of people contacted their lawmakers.
Dr. Janice Crouse, senior fellow at the Beverly LaHaye Institute, said it's time for pro-family activists to gear up.
"We keep having to fight the same battles over and over again because some of those on the left just will not take 'No' for an answer," she said. "We sent a resounding message to the Senate saying that we have a right to tell our lawmakers what we think and what's important to us, yet it looks like we're going to have to fight this battle one more time."
In the Senate battle, organizations ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to Focus on the Family Action to Concerned Women for America mobilized constituents about the bad provision.
Gary Schneeberger, public policy media manager for Focus on the Family Action, said the grassroots fought for its right to be heard.
"There were 115,000 folks who signed petitions," he said. "There were about 35,000 faxes sent. We have no idea how many phone calls were made. Dr. James Dobson went on the radio and asked people to make phone calls."
Schneeberger noted that Focus Action representatives hand carried the petitions to Congress -- but didn't get a chance to deliver them.
"Here's how effective the people's voice was: before we could actually get the petitions in the hands of members of the Senate, the bad provision was taken out," he said. "People in the Senate knew that the petitions were on their way; they knew that there were all these faxes in their offices; they got all these phone calls. They decided, 'The people don't want this.' "
Schneeberger said CitizenLink readers were especially willing to act.
"The very thing we try to do for people, the very reason that most people subscribe to us, is that we give them the opportunity with the click of a mouse, to contact their lawmakers and make their views on known on issues that are important to them," he added. "This bill would have impacted their ability to do that. It would have made it harder for Focus Action to keep constituents informed about what's going on in Washington. Had that happened, folks who rely on us would have lost a little bit of that ability."
Paid for by Focus on the Family Action
