This Week in Washington

By staff - Feb 27, 2007 - comment

UPDATE: House Committee to Hold Hearing on Lobbying Reform Bill; Grassroots Communications Not Necessarily Safe

The House Judiciary Committee’s Constitution Subcommittee will hold a hearing Thursday, March 1 on ethics reform legislation that passed the Senate after striking a section that would have severely encumbered grassroots communications.

S. 1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007, as introduced in the Senate, included a section that would have required most grassroots organizations to submit detailed quarterly reports on all communications with congressional staff and concerned citizens. Fortunately, the Senate approved, on a 55-43 vote, an amendment by Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT) to strip the harmful section from S. 1 before passage of the bill in January.

The fear is that some House members, at a later date, could try to reinsert regulations on grassroots communications into the bill.

If you think organizations should be able to inform you on pro-family issues without having to report their activities, please tell your congressman that you oppose any legislation that places onerous restrictions on grassroots lobbying.

FDA Regulation of Tobacco Legislation Could Save Untold Number of Lives

Congress could pass legislation this year that would allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the marketing, labeling, sale, and distribution of tobacco products and thereby save untold numbers of children from allurement to lifelong tobacco addiction and premature death from tobacco-caused illnesses.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (S. 625/H.R. 1108), introduced February 15 with 30 Senate cosponsors and 97 House cosponsors, has strong, bipartisan support and a likelihood of passage early in the 110th Congress.

For years, the FDA has had regulatory authority over products such as foods and safety devices to protect Americans from unforeseen dangers. Tobacco companies, however, continue to receive special treatment, undergoing little oversight.

The Senate and House passed virtually identical legislation in the 108th Congress by large margins, but it was killed in a conference committee.

Dr. Richard Land, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s president, testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Tuesday, February 27, urging Congress to give the FDA oversight of tobacco companies. Dr. Land’s testimony can be accessed here.

If you would like to end special treatment for tobacco companies and help prevent them from marketing to children, please urge your senators and congressman to cosponsor the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (S. 625/H.R. 1108).

Further Learning

Learn more about: Family, Addictions, Substance Abuse, Living, Health, Citizenship, Legislation, National

Post a Comment




Notify me of follow-up comments?

Before You Submit Your Comment (below), Read This:

Thank you for your interest in the ministry of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (SBC).

Comments are moderated to preserve the family-oriented nature of this website and in an attempt to avoid comment spam. We welcome opposing viewpoints, and we will not turn comments away as long as your views are presented with respect to everyone.

Your comments will not appear immediately and are subject to editing or deletion. We will make every attempt to check new comments in a timely manner, though there will likely be delays on the weekends and around holidays.

Please follow the these guidelines to insure your comments will be posted:

  1. Use a real name, at least a real first name. We find folks are less-rude online when not hiding behind a screen-name.
  2. Name-calling and vulgar-language will not be tolerated. Zero-tolerance is our policy. We will not spend time editing profanity. If it contains foul language, your post will be deleted. Oh, and we decide what is and what is not vulgar.
  3. Comments must be on topic. General comments (compliments, complaints, and otherwise) are best delivered here or expressed on your own personal Web site.
  4. And please, do not type in ALL CAPS. It looks like you're screaming at people.

Additionally, within Baptist polity, please recognize that many issues and decisions are addressed at a local church level. SBC denominational (national) offices have no control and desire no control over the activities of a local church. This entity is not responsible for overseeing and insuring the ethical behavior of Southern Baptist pastors or church members. If your concern involves a legal civil or criminal matter, we suggest you contact the proper local officials.

Issues involving pastoral staff or other church members, local Baptist associations or state Baptist conventions are local issues. Therefore the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission cannot and should not address such issues. While we regret we are unable to assist you, we encourage you to seek a biblical resolution of the issue at the local church level. If your question or submission pertains to a matter covered in this text, it is likely we will not acknowledge your submission.

Other than that, we welcome you and hope to see thoughtful discussions at ERLC.com