The Natl  Coalition of Mental Health Care Professionals and Consumers is asking people to call and have struck from the Senate ethics bill that comes up Tuesday, a section that they claim would put a heavy burden on grassroots lobbying groups. They want it deleted and replaced by an amendment presented by Bennett (R-UT), Mitch McConnell, and a few others. I'm wondering why this handful of Repugs are trying to help grassroots lobbying groups, or if they really are.  I know that the ANWAR drilling group is a 'grassroots' group.

If anyone can penetrate the legalese of the bill, please comment.

Here's their analysis:

a.. The Senate bill places prohibitively burdensome regulatory requirements on all organizations that do any grassroots lobbying. In this case that means any group who contacts the public at large (ads, blogging, action alerts, newsletters, Internet) and asks them to contact Congress.
b.. The bill defines "grassroots lobbying firms" as any organization that encourages 500 or more members of the general public to contact Congress. Every issue we work on would be publicly reported, tracked, and expensed
c.. Fines for non-compliance: up to $100,000.
d.. The cost of compliance would also be extraordinary...and likely put CCHC (Citizens' Council on Health Care 651-646-8935
http://www.cchconlin...) out of business. Quarterly reporting would be required. Everything CCHC does that involves any contact with a member of Congress, or an issue before Congress, would have to be reported, as well as every expense associated with it. Every alliance or coalition we were part of would have to be reported, along with expenses. Every alert we send to you, along with the time we spent to do it, would have to be reported. Endless hours of paperwork!
e.. Large organizations with paid lobbyists would be exempt
f.. But any grassroots group like NCMHPC (National Coalition of Mental Health Professionals & Consumers) who posts an advertisement, emails a broad-based alert or an action item to all parties of interest would be placed in a bureaucratic stranglehold of ongoing reporting requirements

Here's what there asking: