Twenty conservative groups: SB 127 would have ‘chilling effect on free speech in Georgia’
Leaders of 20 national and local conservative action groups have signed onto a letter protesting an amended SB 127, which they said would "have a chilling effect on free speech in Georgia by restricting the ability of nonprofit organizations to engage in public debates and political discourse."
Signers include Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots, Erick Erickson of Redstate.com, and Jason Pye of FreedomWorks.
The AJC's Chris Joyner has your background at myAJC.com. A taste:
Senate Bill 127, which passed the House Tuesday by an overwhelming and bipartisan margin, would require issue advocacy organizations that get involved in elections in Georgia to file disclosures saying how much they spent on the effort and where they got their money. Backers say the provision will bring more transparency, but at least one expert said it could prompt lawsuits claiming an infringement of First Amendment rights.
The proposed disclosure requirement could discourage groups like Washington-based Americans for Tax Reform to get involved in local races. That’s important to many in the General Assembly who signed the group’s pledge never to raise taxes but have supported House Bill 170, the administration’s omnibus transportation plan. SB127A
Americans for Tax Reform, best identified by its founder Grover Norquist, has labeled the transportation bill as a tax increase. The group already warned legislators that a vote for the bill would be considered a violation of the pledge.
The letter of protest is addressed to the six House and Senate conferees, now negotiating final details, and to Gov. Nathan Deal. Read it below:
About the Author
Jim Galloway, the newspaper’s former political columnist, was a writer and editor at the AJC for four decades.
