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To get a better sense of the reasoning behind this bill, it is useful to review the hearings conducted in support of the bill, which, unlike the bill, were limited to sweepstakes. On July 20, the Subcommittee on Investigations of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee held hearings entitled "The Hidden Operators of Deceptive Mailings." This hearing included two members of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (including Kenneth Hunter, Chief Postal Inspector) among the witnesses, discussing companies which the Postal Service had investigated and acted against for sending deceptive mailings. The hearings also included representatives of two small direct marketing firms: Neapolitan Consultants of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Lone Star Productions of Merrick, New York. (Representatives of Publishers Clearing House, American Family Publishers, Reader's Digest, and Time Inc. were mauled rather severely last March.) During the hearing, senators called for a complete ban on the practice of sending multiple solicitations of the same sweepstakes using different graphic presentations. Further, addressing the president of Lone Star Publications, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) said "I hope we can put you out of business." It is not clear whether Sen. Levin expects that S. 335 will have this effect. The sweepstakes hearings have made for great political theater. Unsurprisingly, it appears that the rights of the American people will be trampled as a result. Last May, FSC filed comments (see FSC web site) with the House Subcommittee on Postal Affairs pointing out various problems with the sweepstakes bill, including the fact that it covered much more than sweepstakes. The FSC comments also discussed: the dangers of a grant of additional, excessive discretion to the U.S. Postal Service to deny access to the mails to fundraising pieces -- not limited to sweepstakes mailings (remember that only 130 years ago postmasters had the power to refuse to accept mail advocating the abolition of slavery); the grant of arbitrary subpoena power to the Postal Service; and the power to levy "civil" fines of up to $2 million per incident (civil fines mean that the due process protections accorded criminal cases need not be complied with). However, while changes were incorporated
into the bill by the committee, these critical concerns
raised by FSC were never addressed. Please visit the FSC web
site to take action opposing this threat to our
liberties.
FEC Publishes Final Rule Re-Defining
"Membership" The Free Speech Coalition supported the FEC's proposed definition, with some modifications: (i) a membership organization should be able to waive the dues criterion in appropriate instances according to predetermined specific criteria (such as financial hardship) approved by the organization's governing body; and (ii) the definition of membership organization should reflect, rather than reject, state law definitions of "membership organization" and "member." In addition, FSC criticized the proposed requirements that membership organizations make all of their formal organizational documents (articles, bylaws and the like) available to members, that such organizations amend their governing documents, and that there be a strict annual affirmation of membership. The FEC's final rule made the following
changes: membership organizations may have self-perpetuating boards of directors if all members of the board are themselves members of the organization, as long as the organization has chosen this structure; the board of directors or other committees or groups of members may set specific membership requirements, such as the amount of dues or other qualifications or requirements -- however, dues must be paid annually (albeit payments within a flexible window or subject to a reasonable grace period would meet this requirement) unless there is (i) the affirmation of membership on at least an annual basis, and (ii) direct participatory rights in the governance of the organization; membership organizations shall make their articles, bylaws or other formal organizational documents available to their members -- organizations may impose reasonable copying and delivery fees for this service, and may also make these documents available at their headquarters or other offices, where members choosing to do so may consult and copy them; membership organizations shall expressly solicit members, and expressly acknowledge the acceptance of membership, such as by sending a membership card or including the member on a membership newsletter list; in response to comments by FSC and other commenters, the FEC reduced the annual affirmation requirement to be met by such activities as attending and signing in at a membership meeting or responding to a membership questionnaire; and the determination of whether an organization has members for purposes of the FECA will be determined under these regulations, and not by the definitions of state law that may either include or exclude persons as members of an organization for reasons unrelated to the FECA. The FEC did not adopt the staff proposal that only communications "subject to the direction and control of [the membership organization] and not any other person" may be treated as express advocacy that is not a campaign expenditure under federal law. In response to concerns raised that
some organizations may have to
amend their bylaws to comply with these new
requirements, and that this can be a lengthy
process (for example, some organizations require
approval of proposed changes at consecutive annual
meetings), the FEC stated that it may
consider such organizations to be in
compliance with these rules while steps are
underway, in accordance with the organization's rules, to
come into compliance, assuming that the other requirements
of the rules are met and necessary changes are made at the
first opportunity available under the organization's rules.
Postal Service Reduces Nonprofit Periodicals
Rates The new rates become effective on
August 1, and refunds will be
available for nonprofit periodicals mailings dating
back to January 10 (when the prior nonprofit
periodical rates came into effect).
Eight States Now Have Do-Not-Call List Laws Tennessee's law will charge companies $500 a year to access the list, but does not mention a fee for consumers to sign up for the list. The statute will also set penalties at a maximum of $2,000 per violation to "be calculated in a liberal manner to deter violators and to protect consumers." The law does offer a defense for companies which can demonstrate that they made a good faith effort to comply. The Alabama law sets the fee to sign up for the list at $5 every two years, and the fee to purchase the list at $10 per year. Although violators may be fined up to $200 per violation, the application of the list to most telemarketers is limited. Another such bill was
defeated in the California Senate. The bill
passed the Senate Appropriations Committee, and was headed
for the Senate floor when it was discovered that the
committee vote violated Senate rules. State Senate
leader John Burton refused to
grant the bill a waiver of the rules, and
the measure was prevented from reaching the Senate floor.
Sen. Burton described the bill as "silly" and
unenforceable.
IRS Loses Two More Cases On Mailing List Rental
Income
California Attorney General To Toughen Charitable
Fundraising Oversight
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