permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

(forwarded, edited post from another list)

As early as today the US Senate will consider legislation that would
force <organization name>, and other similar nonprofit groups, to register 
with the
federal government every time we engage in “grassroots lobbying.” That
means that if we do anything that might encourage you to contact your
federal representatives about a policy issue, we’ll be subject to
registration and quarterly reporting to Congress. Failure to do so could
lead to fines to CFSA of up to $100,000.

Currently, organizations do not need to report grassroots lobbying,
which is when they contact their membership and the public or engage in
some action that encourages people to call their federally elected
officials. However, under Section 220 of Senate Bill 1, federal lobbying
laws would apply to all groups that spend money to reach more than 500
people with a message urging them to contact their elected officials.
For example, if a paid <organization name> staffer emails more than 500 
people asking
them to call Congress about some issue, or puts an article on the
Internet that is likely to reach more than 500 people, <organization name> 
would be
subject to federal lobbying laws.

This is an unacceptable burden for Congress impose on nonprofits
like <organization name>. Senator Robert Bennett has introduced an amendment 
to strike
section 220 from Senate Bill 1, and the amendment could come up for a
vote on the floor of the Senate as early as today. Please call your U.S.
senators today at the phone numbers below and urge them to support the
Bennett amendment (amendment 20) to S. 1

Your message can be as simple as: "I am a member of an agricultural
support organization in (your state) and I’m very concerned about the
grassroots lobbying provisions in section 220 of Senate Bill 1. Please
support the Bennett amendment to remove section 220 from S. 1, so that
farming organizations do not have to register with Congress in order to
ask citizens to contact their elected officials."