House Democrats are facing a backlash from some
liberal and
government reform advocacy groups over an exemption for the National
Rifle
Association that was added to a campaign finance bill.

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and the
Sierra Club
have told The Hill they will now oppose the Disclose Act, which
Democrats are
pushing as a response to the Supreme Court decision earlier this year
that
overturned limits on corporate and union contributions to political
campaigns.

{mosads}The opposition comes after Democrats agreed to a
provision
that would exempt the NRA and a few other large organizations from
disclosure
requirements that are central to the bill.

The decision by U.S. PIRG is significant because
the group
has been heavily involved in crafting the legislation. PIRG research
advocate
Lisa Gilbert emphasized that the group supports the goals of the
legislation
but that the carve-out for the NRA was simply too big a compromise.

“It’s a sea change, and we hope that we’ll be able
to remove
this exemption and support the bill,” Gilbert said.

A spokesman for Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the chief sponsor of the
legislation, defended the bill. 

“The bill that will be voted on on the
House floor will increase transparency and disclosure and ensure the
American people know who is spending money on elections,” his spokesman,
Doug Thornell, said. He cited the five influential government reform
groups who were supporting the bill with the NRA exemption included as
evidence of the legislation’s credibility.

Common Cause, Public Citizen, Democracy 21, the League of
Women
Voters, and the Campaign Legal Center are all supporting the bill.

The NRA on Tuesday confirmed it would stand down from lobbying against the bill because of the exemption. In a statement, the group said it that as long as the provisions remains intact, the NRA “will not be involved in final consideration of the House bill.”

The Sierra Club, a leading environmental advocacy
organization, had not taken a position on the Disclose Act before the
NRA
exemption was added. A spokesman, David Willett, said the group had
concerns
both with that provision and others that he said might limit the Club’s
non-electoral
grassroots activities.

“We are supportive of the underlying goals,” he
said.

Democratic leaders hope to take up the legislation
this
week, but House progressives have yet to sign on to the amended bill. The
Brady Campaign
to Prevent Gun Violence, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National
Right
to Life Committee have also come out against the bill.

The NRA carve-out, negotiated by gun rights
supporters in
Congress, would exempt organizations that have more than 1 million
members,
have existed for more than 10 years and raise a maximum of 15 percent of
their
contributions from corporations.