Istook Amendment Dead...For Now

[Nick Morgan <nmorgan@igc.org>]

Posting from "Nick Morgan" <nmorgan@igc.org>

An amendment which could have affected many 
activist organizations around the country, 
especially those receiving Federal funds, has 
been stopped. A rare victory!

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------

> RTK.NET Mail 103847 Nov 29 13:09:53 1995
> PLEASE REPOST
>
> Let America Speak Coalition
>
> Istook Amendment Dead. . .For Now
> We Have Won This Battle -- But the War Continues
>
> Congratulations...for now!!!! It appears that the Istook
> amendment may be dead for the remainder of this calendar
> year, though it is likely to reappear in some form next
> year. This victory is largely due to community groups
> across the country raising objections to the amendment. We
> have heard from congressional offices that they are deluged
> with calls and letters from back home on this issue.
> (Through the Let America Speak Coalition toll free number to
> Congress we have had around 6,000 calls alone.) Congress
> has heard you!
>
> The nonprofit sector has reason to cheer -- this is a
> significant, yet rare, victory for the public interest
> sector during this Congress. Since the Istook amendment
> will be back, we must be prepared. As a broad-based
> coalition, we have told the proponents of the amendment that
> they can call it what they want, attach it to what they
> want, or do it whenever they want, we will be there to
> oppose it.
>
> For now -- smile a lot, pat each other on the back, and
> celebrate. We will get back to you when the crisis arises
> again. In the meantime, you will get an e-mail from us
> about specific actions we still need to do (e.g., who needs
> thank you letters, etc.). Again, thanks for all your great
> work.
>
> What Happened
>
> On Tuesday night, November 28, the House rejected several
> proposed amendments to the Lobby Disclosure Bill, thus
> indicating that it will reject all amendments, including the
> Istook and McIntosh amendments. Representatives Istook and
> McIntosh have responded by withdrawing their package of
> amendments from consideration, but promised to bring them up
> again at another time.
>
> On Wednesday morning, Nov. 29, the House unanimously passed
> (421-0) a clean Lobby Reform Bill, with no amendments, which
> will go directly to the President for his signature.
>
> The key vote was on an amendment offered Tues. evening by
> Rep. William Clinger (R-PA) that would have prevented
> federal agencies from sending out materials that could be
> used to support or oppose legislation before Congress. This
> otherwise popular amendment was defeated by a vote of 238 to
> 190, with 56 Republicans, 181 Democrats and 1 Independent
> voting against, and 176 Republicans and 14 Democrats voting
> for the amendment.
>
> Three other amendments were also voted down Tuesday night.
> A proposal by Rep. Phil English (R-PA) to ban former U.S.
> Trade Representative officials from representing foreign
> clients was defeated 221 to 201. A proposal by Rep. John
> Fox to prohibit registered lobbyists from giving gifts to
> members of Congress and their staffs was defeated 257 to
> 171. A proposal by Rep. Gerry Weller (R-IL) to require
> registered lobbyists to disclose honoraria paid to members
> of the news media was defeated 233 to 193.
>
> While it looks like the Istook amendment is dead for now,
> Istook and McIntosh's statement that they do not plan to
> give up must be taken seriously. They say they are going to
> re-look at the forthcoming Continuing Resolution, the Labor-
> HHS-Education Appropriations bill, and the HUD-VA
> Appropriations bill as possible vehicles. They also say
> that they may use the Simpson-Craig language that was on the
> Senate's version of the last Continuing Resolution (which
> the House rejected). We will keep our eye out for any
> possibility of action on these bills, but for various
> reasons any riders on appropriations bills, especially
> controversial ones like the Istook amendment, will now be
> very difficult to do.
>
> There is no doubt the Istook amendment will resurface in
> some form on another bill next year. But, meanwhile, until
> you get the next e-mail from us that sends out an alert,
> enjoy!
>
> For more information: Patrick Lester (202) 234-8494
> David Arons (202) 223-8100
> Mike Lee (202) 332-3224
>
> ------------------
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>From: Gary Bass <bassg@RTK.NET>
>To: nonprof@RTK.NET
>Subject: Istook Amendment Dead...For Now
>Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 13:09:55 EST
>