The U.S. House of Representatives soon could see a bill that would be like “putting a piece of duct tape over” the mouths of pro-family organizations, including Focus on the Family Action.
Language that may be added to the lobbying reform effort would bury organizations like Focus in needless paperwork and burdensome reporting requirements any time it communicates to constituents concerning public policy issues that are before Congress, all under the threat of severe fines and criminal penalties.
In a special online edition of the Focus on the Family broadcast, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, urged Americans to get involved.
“We faced this battle in the Senate right after the first of the year. Well, it’s back,” he said. “We’re not opposed to reforming the lobby process. The problem we have is the bill as it pertains to grassroots lobbying. They are going to attempt to amend the present bill … to add grassroots into it.
“This affects average citizens who would make a phone call to their legislator. This is far-reaching legislation. It runs counter to … free speech,” he said. “The harder they try to silence us, the more convinced we should become that we must speak out.”
The grassroots language was pulled from the Senate bill in January after a public outcry. It’s time for a repeat performance, said Carrie Gordon Earll, senior director of issues analysis for Focus on the Family Action.
“We’ve just got to do it again, we’ve got to repeat the same performance, and to demonstrate that we are not going to be silenced,” she said. Kind of like "putting a piece of duct tape over our mouth.
“The bottom line is that the Gospel and the promotion of biblical values in this country is going to be damaged.”
Dr. Bill Maier, vice president and psychologist in residence at Focus, hosted the online broadcast.
“They want to muzzle and stifle people like Dr. Dobson and organizations like Focus on the Family Action,” he said. “Their goal is to silence the folks who keep you updated on what your elected officials are up to.”
Perkins put out the call to action: “I want to encourage people to contact their congressmen, in particular, contact the members of the House Judiciary Committee. The message is very simple: Lobby reform without attacking the grassroots.”
TAKE ACTION
Click here to download a fact sheet to use when talking to lawmakers.
Click here for a list of the House Judiciary Committee members.
(These files require the free Adobe Reader to view.)
Click here to sign the Focus on the Family Action petition.
Finally, call your representative's office and let the office staff know your position on the grassroots lobbying bill. Such calls usually take less than a minute. If you are a CitizenLink Daily Update subscriber, click on the blue "Take Action" button in the e-mail to be automatically logged in to our Action Center. Otherwise, click on this link.
(NOTE: Referral to Web sites not produced by Focus on the Family is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites' content.)
(Paid for by Focus on the Family Action)
