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Senators from both parties warned against complicating the lobbying bill by combining it with controversial campaign finance issues, including that of 527s, but House GOP leaders have backed making that part of their package.House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., said that could still happen.
"We're still trying to determine how at the end of the day we will put this together."
On Wednesday a U.S.
District judge ruled, in a case brought by President Bush (website - news - bio) 's campaign and lawmakers, that the Federal Election Commission had failed to give a reasoned explanation for its decision not to issue rules requiring 527s - named after the section of the tax code that covers them - to register as federal political action committees.
That would subject them to the same fundraising, spending and disclosure rules as PACs must follow.
The judge did not say that the FEC had abused its discretion, and he did not order it to develop...
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