[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 125 (Monday, July 31, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H7996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 LABOR-HHS APPROPRIATIONS BILL, COULD SEVERELY CURTAIL CITIZENS' RIGHTS

  (Mr. MENENDEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, all Americans need to be aware that the 
upcoming Labor-HHS appropriations bill could severely curtail their 
rights to lobby their elected officials, and silence the voice of a 
majority of Americans.
  The bill limits the amount of private money that Federal grantees may 
use to lobby, arguing that money is fungible. In other words, the 
Federal money makes it possible for grantees to use more of their own 
money to lobby. That argument is not enough to warrant these 
unprecedented restrictions of our first amendment rights.
  Meanwhile, Americans have seen countless newspaper stories about tax-
exempt groups paying to fly politicians around the country, for 
political advertising, or promoting their political agendas--and all 
this lobbying goes on tax free.
  I will be offering an amendment that will end this skirting of the 
law. Any politician accepting tax-exempt dollars to promote his 
political agenda loses his Federal salary. That is lobbying reform with 
teeth.
  Let us not silence voices of average Americans and their 
organizations, and let the high and mighty take a free ride on tax 
exemptions.
  Since the issue is the fungibility of money, we must consider all 
fungible Government benefits. When we vote on the Labor-HHS 
appropriations bill, let us look at the whole problem.

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