COMMON CAUSE for COMMON CAUSE
What was lobbied
2 issue areas, each in the filer's own words, with who lobbied on it and where.
Telecommunications TEC
Urged the Federal Communications Commission to close broadcast regulation loopholes that undermine competition and diversity in programming.Urged the Federal Communications Commission to remove barriers to broadband adoption by preempting state laws that restrict municipal broadband and to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service. Advised Senate and House staff on matters of Federal Communications Commission policy to promote an open internet and urged opposition to proposed the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| AARON SCHERB | — |
Government Issues GOV
Supported amending the Senate filibuster rules so that a supermajority would no longer be requred to end debate (specifically, Rule XXII and Rule V). Supported the Government By the People Act (H.R. 20), providing for a voluntary system of financing Congressional elections using a mix of small private donations and federal funds and establishing a refundable tax credit to encourage grassroots campaign donations.Supported the Empowering Citizens Act (H.R. 270), providing for a repair of the presidential public financing system, creating a similar public financing system for Congressional races, strengthening rules prohibiting coordinated spending by outside groups and ending individual candidate-specific independent-expenditure only committees (individual candidate-specific "Super PACs"). Supported the Voting Rights Amendment Act (H.R. 3899, S. 1945) to amend the Voting Rights Act in the wake of the Supreme Court's opinion in Shelby County v. Holder. Supported the Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2013 (H.R. 2902, S. 1424) to require the Supreme Court to promulgate a Code of Ethics for the Justices of the Supreme Court that should include the 5 canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, with any amendments or modications that the Supreme Court determines appropriate. Supported the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act (H.R. 1133), to require fundraising organizations to submit quarterly reports on entities that have contributed above a certain threshold towards a presidential library. Opposed the Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2014 (H.R. 3865) that would mandate a one-year delay in rulemaking by the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service to modify regulations governing standards for "social welfare" organizations under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and candidate-related political activity. Filed comments supporting and opposing different elements of the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service proposed rules to define activities that should constitute candidate-related political activity as distinct from social weflare activities of 501(c)(4) organizations, with an interest in promoting disclosure of political spending. Urged the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department to move forward expenditiously with its rulemaking proceeding and issue necessary new regulations governing electoral activities by tax-exempt 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations in the wake of hundreds of millions of dollars in undisclosed spending through these organizations after the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC. Opposed the Kids First Research Act (H.R. 2019), a bill to repeal public fudning for party presidential nominating conventions. Urged Senators to consider professional diversity in recommending nominees to fill judicial vacancies, including public interest attorneys. Supported the Safeguarding Elections for our Nation's Troops through Reforms and Improvements (SENTRI) Act (S. 1728) to improve voter registration and ballot access opportunities for military and overseas voters.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| ARN PEARSON | — |
| AARON SCHERB | — |
Shown as published by the Senate Office of Public Records and the House Clerk under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. The official filing is the record; open it for the full form.