Thursday, January 11, 2007

S. 1: Commission to Strengthen Confidence in Congress Act of 2007

I have just heard about an unacceptable provision in S. 1, a bill you and your colleagues are expected to consider sometime next week. While I know much of what the ethics bill aims to do is needed and even welcome, Section 220 is terribly disturbing to me.

As I understand it, this provision would place severe restrictions on my right to hear from groups I trust about what is going on in Congress. These groups would be subject to fines of $100,000 for not complying with the miles of red tape the bill mandates; I am greatly concerned they will simply stop providing me with information I need to know about legislation that affects my family.

Don't misunderstand me. I applaud any effort to clean up the unethical activity of some lobbyists on Capitol Hill -- but those are not the kinds of lobbyists being targeted by Section 220. Those being targeted are everyday Americans like me.

We will not stand for a curtailing of our free-speech rights. Please keep that in mind as you consider S. 1 -- and act to remove Section 220 that seeks to silence the very men and women who put you in office.

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