May 22, 2007 -- Reform Groups and CED Urge House Members to Vote for Rule on Lobbying Reform Bill
Also Urge Members to Vote for Van Hollen-Meehan Bundling Disclosure Amendment

Enclosed for your information is a letter reform groups and the Committee for Economic Development sent today to House members urging them to ''to vote for the rule on lobbying disclosure reform legislation and for the amendment to the legislation to be offered by Representatives Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Marty Meehan (D-MA) to require lobbyists to disclose the amount of bundled contributions they provide for Members and others.''

The reform groups signing the letter include the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG. The Committee for Economic Development, which also signed the letter, is a national organization of business leaders and educators.

May 22, 2007

Dear Representative,

Our organizations strongly urge you to vote for the rule on lobbying disclosure reform legislation and for the amendment to the legislation to be offered by Representatives Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Marty Meehan (D-MA) to require lobbyists to disclose the amount of bundled contributions they provide for Members and others.

We also hope the rule would allow for consideration of strengthening amendments.

The organizations include the Campaign Legal Center, the Committee for Economic Development, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG.

Lobbying disclosure reform is one of the essential reforms necessary to respond to the Jack Abramoff corruption and lobbying scandals, the worst congressional scandals in thirty years. The disclosure by lobbyists of the total amount of contributions they bundle for Members and for which they get credit from such Members is the defining issue for lobbying disclosure reform.

The Van Hollen-Meehan amendment is a straight disclosure amendment in order to provide citizens with basic information which they have a right to know about the activities being undertaken by lobbyists to provide campaign funding support for Members.

A vote against the rule on lobbying reform would be a vote by you to kill lobbying reform and a refusal by you to address the Abramoff lobbying scandals. It would also be a vote by you to preserve secrecy for lobbyists who bundle contributions for Members at the expense of the interests of the American people.

We strongly urge you to vote for the rule on the lobbying disclosure reform bill and for the Van Hollen-Meehan bundling disclosure amendment.

Campaign Legal Center
Common Cause
Democracy 21
League of Women Voters
Public Citizen
U.S. PIRG