Politics
Lobbying reform bill to include tribal provisions


Update: Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) introduced an amendment to strike the tribal provisions. It was carried by a voice vote, removing the provisions from the bill.

A lobbying reform bill being marked up today by the Senate Rules Committee will contain provisions affecting tribes.

Sen. Trent Lott (R-Mississippi), the chairman of the committee, is working on the bill with Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. McCain has held a hearing on tribes and lobbying practices, the most recent being one on tribal campaign contributions.

The bill would require more disclosure for such donations. According to National Congress of American Indians executive director Jackie Johnson, who briefed tribes on the issue yesterday, it would assign tribes with a unique identifier under the Federal Elections Commission and would impose additional reporting requirements.

Although the bill is still being developed, Johnson said it is expected that the provisions would apply to tribes that make over $1,000 in donations in a year. Many tribes, but not all, fall into this category.

Johnson said NCAI will provide an update on the legislation after the markup today.

Get the Story:
Senate Draft on Lobbying Clamps Down on Earmarks (The Washington Post 2/28)
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Dems cool on Obama bill (The Hill 2/28)

FEC Advisory:
Indian Tribes (February 2, 2006)

Federal Elections Commission Opinions:
Advisory Opinion 1999-32 (January 28, 2000) | Advisory Opinion 2000-05 (May 15, 2000) | Advisory Opinion 2005-01 (March 14, 2005)

More Advisory Opinion 2005-01 Documents:
Advisory Opinion Draft A and Draft B | Tribe's Request for Advisory Opinion

Relevant Links:
Federal Election Commission - http://www.fec.gov
PoliticalMoneyLine - http://www.politicalmoneyline.com
Center for Responsive Politics - http://www.opensecrets.org

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