Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Disclosure Bill Faces Opposition

The Hill reports how strongly the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) opposes H.R.984, the Executive Branch Lobby Reform Act. The organization views the measure as a threat to a citizen's right to petition the government. The bill would require agency officials to document all communications from any private party that sought to influence a public policy issue. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee unanimously passed the bill, and now NRLC is engaging in a full blown campaign warning that the public's ability to weigh in on public policy will be jeopardized. NRLC's Legislative Director Douglas Johnson argued "that the categories of covered officials, the forms of communication and the sources of the communications as defined by the bill are overly broad and that such requirements would discourage officials from interacting with the public." Opposition to disclosure of legitimate activity invokes a reaction of suspicion that lends the memory to why such measures are needed:

As examples of the alleged secrecy he sought to uncover, [Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA)] cited Vice President Cheney's refusal to disclose details about the activities of his energy policy task force and the White House's reluctance to reveal information about meetings between President Bush's aides and the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.