Joe Lieberman: “utilizing a moment in opposition to the amendment of my friend from Utah, Mr. Bennett, if the section on grassroots…”

“utilizing a moment in opposition to the amendment of my friend from Utah, Mr. Bennett, if the section on grassroots lobbying in the bill were as Senator Bennett described it and as other groups on the outside have described it, I would oppose it. This provision was in the overall lobbying bill that passed the Senate 90 to 8 last year. It is a natural extension of what the entire bill is doing, which is asking for disclosure from professional lobbying. Billions of dollars are spent on so-called grassroots lobbying. It is totally legal, but let's get it out into the sunshine. The individual groups writing to Members to lobby us do not have to disclose anything. This only requires disclosure if a group retains a professional lobbyist and only if they pay that lobbyist more than $25,000 a quarter. This is not amateur citizen lobbying. This is to find out who is getting how much money to influence us. It is not, in any sense, a limitation on the revered first amendment right to petition Congress for a redress of grievances. It is an attempt for disclosure consistent with the entire bill. So I ask my colleagues respectfully to leave this critical provision in this progressive reform bill. I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor.”