National Press Club Professional Development Committee Training class, "Decipher a 990," on how to read a Form 990 and find out who works for a non-profit group, who serves on its board, where the organization's income comes from and how it spends that money. The training includes a discussion on GuideStar.com, a web site that compiles financial reports filed by 1.5 million non-profits. [Note: Space is limited to 15; this event is free and is for NPC members only.]
Participants: Suzanne Coffman, GuideStar's communications director
Location: National Press Club, 14th and F Sts., NW, Library Classroom, Washington, D.C..
10:30 a.m.
Contact: 202-662-7501

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 12:57:40 PM



Common Cause Report on Telecom Astroturf
Common Cause has issued a report which attempts to shine a light on some of the telecom industry's devious Astroturf campaigns, as well as their funding of think tanks for "research" that supports the industry's agenda. Because there is so little disclosure in this area, it is difficult to get all the information necessary to issue a comprehensive report.

One of the underhanded tactics increasingly being used by telecom companies is "Astroturf lobbying" -- creating front groups that try to mimic true grassroots, but that are all about corporate money, not citizen power. Astroturf lobbying is hardly a new approach. Astroturf campaigns generally claim to represent huge numbers of citizens, but in reality their public support is minimal or nonexistent.

Another industry approach is to fund "think tanks" and nonprofit groups with innocuous sounding names to write reports and policy papers. These groups accept subsidies or grants from corporate interests to lobby or produce research when they normally might not, but too often fail to disclose the connection between their policy positions and their bank accounts. (This is not true of all industry-friendly think tanks; some, like the Progress and Freedom Foundation, disclose supporters on their websites.)

Check out the report!

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 12:53:22 PM



Multiple House Committees Work on Lobbying Bill
Lobby reform will be on the House floor when the member's return from Easter recess, as four of the committees of jurisdiction have scheduled markups on HR 4975, the GOP's bill.

Five committees have jurisdiction over the bill: Government Reform, Administration, Judiciary, Rules and Standards of Official Conduct, as the ethics committee is formally called. Judiciary and Rules will hold markups Wednesday; Government Reform and House Administration will hold their markups a day later.

The Rules Committee:

• limits or ban on gifts/meals
  
• identification inappropriations bills of member earmarks

The Judiciary Committee:

• changes to federal lobbying law (PL 104-65), including increased penalties for non-compliance and other portions of the bill related to citizen interaction with government.

The Administration Committee

• shares jurisdiction over the forfeiture of retirement benefit
  
• requirement for staff ethics training, and has oversight authority over the House inspector general.

The Government Reform Committee :

• shares jurisdiction over the proposed forfeiture of retirement benefits by those convicted of corruption while in Congress.

Today the Christian Civic League of Maine (“CCL”), a nonprofit Maine corporation, filed suit to secure a preliminary and permanent injunction allowing it to broadcast a grassroots lobbying advertisement in support of the federal Marriage Protection Amendment before a Senate vote on the measure in early June. Starting in mid-May, CCL will air a radio ad asking listeners to call Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and urge them to support the Amendment, designed to grant constitutional protection to a traditional definition of marriage. Because it names Sen. Snowe, who is up for reelection this year, CCL’s grassroots lobbying ad qualifies as an electioneering communication, which CCL is prohibited from doing beginning May 14, 2006, when the “blackout period” of the BCRA prohibiting such broadcasts will begin.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 12:30:52 PM



Lobby Shop With A Non-Profit Front
According to the St. Petersburg Times:

Ron Campbell, a lobbyist from SPS Consultants, successfully ran Mexican avocado growers campaign in 2004 to expand access to the U.S. market. To overcome opposition from Californian avocado growers Campbell gave Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) $100,000 to generate a 'grassroots' lobbying campaign to support his clients. "California has 6,000 growers. We went to CAGW and said, "We need at least 6,000 or 7,000 comments to counter that," Campbell told the St. Petersburg Times. It is just one of a number of campaigns that CAGW has run to benefit its donors. Bill Adair reports that CAGW took at least $245,000 from tobacco companies "while urging the federal government not to regulate tobacco and to drop a lawsuit against the industry". CAGW was also funded by Diageo North America, "a major liquor company, and wrote letters to Congress opposing government regulation of flavored malt beverages, which Diageo makes."