Grassroots Disclosure Dropped From Ethics Reform Bill

As we noted earlier this month, a new group called the Free Speech Coalition was fighting a proposal in Congress that would mandate reporting by any group involved in paid efforts to stimulate grassroots communications -- a proposal that would have had a major impact on DC firms that run grassroots campaigns for clients. 

Looks like the group's efforts worked.  The Wash Post reports this morning that the provision was struck from the Senate Ethics bill last night, after furious lobbying by the "odd coalition that included the American Civil Liberties Union, the Traditional Values Coalition, the American Conservative Union and the National Right to Life Committee."  The provision had also raised the ire of bloggers, who were concerned it might affect them.