Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Member Disclosure Law Upheld, NAM To Appeal

The National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) challenge to a new member disclosure law was dismissed on April 11. NAM was challenging a provision in the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA) that requires coalitions and associations to reveal organization that contribute at least $5,000 per quarter and actively participates in the lobbying campaigns. The lawsuit attempted to block implementation of the new law, charging that the provision was too vague, and would interfere with their First Amendment right of free association. However, the judge found that the provision in question was "narrowly tailored to serve compelling government interests, and is neither vague on its face nor as applied to the NAM."

The Hill reports that NAM will ask for a stay and appeal the ruling. "We remain convinced that many of the law's burdensome and intrusive disclosure requirements will have a serious chilling effect on the constitutional rights of our members," NAM President John Engler said.