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Letter to Members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs about lobby reform legislation

March 1, 2006

Members of the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator:

On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), I am writing with respect to plans by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to consider lobby reform legislation on Thursday. We urge you to oppose efforts to include any campaign finance measures, including legislation to revise the regulation of 527 organizations and accounts, in a lobby reform bill.

Recent events have highlighted the need to address legislative processes that allow insiders with special connections to highjack legislation in order to advance narrow interests. However, the effort to address corruption should not be used to force changes in campaign finance law that would further advantage the wealthy and well-connected.

Legislation to revise the regulation of independent 527 organizations is an attack on the fully disclosed, grassroots activities that helped to increase the 2004 voter turnout to the highest level since 1968. Congress should be encouraging activities that increase voter participation, not outlawing them. Broad voter participation strengthens our democracy, not weakens it.

AFSCME also opposes 527 reform legislation because it would preempt state and local campaign finance laws that regulate the activities of organizations, including local unions, working on state and local elections. State and local PACs engaged in state and local election activity should not be compelled to operate under federal PAC rules.

We also urge you to oppose measures that would enhance the voice of the wealthy and well-connected by, for example, repealing limitations on transfers to parties from leadership PACs and raising or eliminating the aggregate annual limit on contributions by individual donors.

Adding campaign finance changes to lobby reform legislation would be a cynical move aimed at maintaining a status quo that allows corporations and wealthy individuals a greater voice in policy making at the expense of working families. We urge you to reject any campaign finance amendments when the Committee takes up lobby reform legislation.

Sincerely,

Charles M. Loveless
Director of Legislation

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