David Skaggs: “I am concerned about the approach that we are taking in correcting this problem with section 18 of the Lobbying Reform…”

“I am concerned about the approach that we are taking in correcting this problem with section 18 of the Lobbying Reform Act that this Congress recently passed and the President signed. I think Members have become aware of the difficulty in implementing that particular provision with respect to some of the organizations organized under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and the prohibitions in section 18 against any such organization that receives a contract or a loan or award from the Federal Government engaging in any lobbying activities. This bill, as it is presented to the House, is a partial remedy to the problem that we now know is created by section 18, in that it deletes contracts from the scope of the section 18 prohibition. It seems to me that with the 140,000-plus 501(c)(4) organizations, that include all manner of civic organizations, housing associations, organizations of local governments, a lot of different organizations that may get from time to time a Federal grant or loan or contract, that to address only the ability of contracts of Government and not these other 501(c)(4)s to be able to fully engage in their legitimate rights to talk to us about problems facing the Nation or in legislation is unfortunate, and that we simply ought to deal with the entire scope of the difficulties that exist under section 18.”