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The Human Needs Report is the Coalition on Human Needs' newsletter
on national policy issues affecting low-income and vulnerable populations.
It is published every other week while Congress is in session.
Article from the March 31 , 2006 edition
of the CHN Human Needs
Report:
The Senate approved a lobbying reform bill, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act (S. 2349) on March 29 without controversial amendments by James Inhofe (R-OK), including one that would have introduced five-year prison sentences for non-profit officers found guilty of lobbying with federal funds. The current penalty for lobbying with federal funds is a fine. Non-profit advocates argued that if the amendments were adopted they could induce a chilling effect on non-profits who receive federal funds and who might believe any lobbying, even lobbying with private funds, could run afoul of the law. Also, the penalty would only apply to non-profits and not to for-profit entities.
The bill passed 90-8 by the Senate and includes provisions concerning lobbying reporting, contributions, privately funded travel and other areas. A handful of Senators, including Barack Obama (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ) voted against the bill, arguing that it did not go far enough to curb abuses.
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