Church of Scientology US Lobbying

Lobbying in the United States describes paid and pro bono activity in which special interests hire well-connected professional advocates, typically lawyers and former bureaucrats, to argue for or against specific legislation and regulations in decision-making bodies of government. It is a highly controversial phenomenon, often seen in a negative light by journalists and the American public when corporations use lobbying as a means of gaining influence for the benefit of their own profitable. While the bulk of lobbying happens by business and professional interests who hire paid professionals, some lobbyists represent non-profits pro bono for social issues. Pro bono lobbyists typically coordinate advocacy activities to sway public opinion, form like-minded coalitions for promoting a common cause and socialize with local legislators at events like fundraisers and awards ceremonies. Public disclosure documentation shows that the Church of Scientology lobbying activities primarily focuses on two areas: corporate interests related to swaying legislation and regulatory actions that financially benefits one or more of their organizations; and foreign policy leverage for enlisting help when other countries deny them the same non-profit tax breaks or religious freedoms they enjoy in the United States.

Annual spending summary

The Church of Scientology has a long history of using lobbyists to gain influence and special interest protections. Their efforts significantly increased after gaining tax exempt status from the IRS in 1993 with annual spending ranging in the high six-digit figures and cumulative totals topping $1 million dollars for a period of 5-6 years. Public records currently available online from the Center for Responsive Politics, the US House of Representatives and the US Senate reflect a downward trend in recent years for money spent by Scientology entities where it took a dozen years for cumulative annual spending to top $1 million dollars.

Religious Technology Center

http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=F22357

Church of Scientology International

http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000048670

Church of Spiritual Technology

http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=F3734

Citizens Commission of Human Rights

http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=F51254

Cumulative totals

The following summary chart is derived from Open Secrets Lobbying Database.

Registered agents

(add lobbyists by corp + meta info, quick reference table)

Pro bono lobbyists

According to public disclosure records (see External links), the following lobbyists volunteered to advocate to Scientology's best interest in (number?) branches of the US Government.

Peter Klestadt

Peter Klestadt, a Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt lobbyist, worked as an unpaid emissary for Church of Spiritual Technology interests from (dates?). Scientology spent no money on Klestadt's services, which focused primarily on the following issues:

• (main issues list)

Richard Wortman

Rich Wortman, a Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt lobbyist, worked as unpaid emissary for Church of Spiritual Technology interests from (dates?). Scientology spent no money on Wortman's services, which focused primarily on the following issues:

• (main issues list)

Quid pro quo lobbyists

According to public disclosure records (see External links), the following hired gun lobbyists advocated for Scientology's best interest in (number?) branches of the US Government.

Stephen Amitay

Steve Amitay, a Federal Legislative Associates lobbyist, worked as an advocate for Religious Technology Center interests from (dates?). Scientology spent approximately (moneyamt?) for Amitay's services, which focused primarily on the following issues:

• (main issues list)

Sam Brunelli

Sam Brunelli, a Team Builders lobbyist, worked as an advocate for Citizens Commission of Human Rights interests from (dates?). Scientology spent approximately (moneyamt?) for Brunelli's services, which focus primarily on the following issues:

• (main issues list)

Politician Dan Burton

Former Congressman Danny Lee Burton, a self-employed lobbyist, currently works as an advocate for Citizens Commission of Human Rights interests. Scientology has spent approximately (moneyamt?) for Burton's services since he first registered CCHR as his only client on (date?), and he has primarily focused on the following issues:

• (main issues list)

Lybra Clemons

Lybra Clemons, a Federal Legislative Associates lobbyist, worked as a hired gun advocate for Religious Technology Center interests from (dates?). Scientology spent approximately (moneyamt?) for Clemons' services, which focused primarily on the following issues:

• (main issues list)

David H. Miller

David Miller, a Federal Legislative Associates lobbyist, worked as an advocate for Religious Technology Center interests from (dates?). Scientology spent approximately (moneyamt?) for Miller's services, which focused primarily on the following issues:

• (main issues list)

Scientologist Greg Mitchell

Greg Mitchell, a self-employed lobbyist, currently works as an advocate for Church of Scientology International interests.

Scientology has spent approximately 1.2 million dollars for Mitchell's services since he first registered CSI as a client with a effective date of October 1, 2003 when he declared the client's business or activities as "religion, social betterment." At that time, Mitchell described his current and anticipated lobbying issues as "Social betterment programs dealing with drug abuse/addiction, illiteracy, crime, moral decay, and detoxification."

The following tables lists the General lobbying issue area codes Mitchell declared when he initially registered CSI as a client for his services (Form LD-1), in addition to the codes he listed to describe his actual lobbying activities in his semi-annual and quarterly disclosure reports (Form LD-2).

Lobbyist Greg Mitchell public disclosure data 2013-2015
for client name Church of Scientology International.

Lobbying Code	General Issue Area	Disclosure Type(s)	Approximate Income
ALC	Alcohol & Drug Abuse	LD-1, LD-2	$14.2k
BNK	Bankruptcy	LD-2	$2.2k
EDU	Education	LD-1, LD-2	$52.5k
FOR	Foreign Relations	LD-2	$634.5k
HCR	Health Issues	LD-1, LD-2	$52.5k
IMM	Immigration	LD-2	$119.9k
LAW	Law Enforcement/Crime/Criminal Justice	LD-1, LD-2	$297.3k
REL	Religion	LD-1	$0
TRD	Trade (Domestic & Foreign)	LD-2	$20k

From 2004 through 2006, Greg Mitchell has also worked pro bono on behalf of Citizens for Social Reform, a Political Action Committee founded in 2001 by Scientologists.

Other representatives

The following experts were reportedly advocating for Scientology's best interest to the US Government in the past, but no public disclosure records exist in the online databases due to either date limitations and/or disclosure exemptions for certain types of social activities.

Consultant Joe Grieboski

...

Publicists Hill & Knowlton

...

Focus of lobbyist activity

(add agency/govbody by corp/lobbyist + meta info, quick reference table)

Targeted legislation

Lobbyists for Church of Scientology International (CSI) and Citizens Commission of Human (CCHR) have disclosed activities in regards to attempting to influence the outcome of the following legislative and regulatory actions to the benefit of the client's corporate interests.

Year	Client	Issue	Lobbyist(s)	Approx. Spending
2004	CSI	Bankruptcy law and charitable donation protections amendments	Greg Mitchell	$24.4k
2004	CSI	Second Chance Act	Greg Mitchell	$24.4k
2005	CSI	Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act 2006	Greg Mitchell	$26.7k
2006	CSI	Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act 2006	Greg Mitchell	$20k
2006	CSI	Second Chance Act	Greg Mitchell	$20k
2006	CSI	Support for Human Rights Day/Week resolutions	Greg Mitchell	$20k
2007	CSI	Second Chance Act	Greg Mitchell	$30k
2007	CSI	Religious Freedom Restoration Act	Greg Mitchell	$20k
2008	CSI	Second Chance Act	Greg Mitchell	$48k
2008	CSI	Religious Worker Visa Extension Act	Greg Mitchell	$24k
2008	CSI	Legal Immigration Extension Act	Greg Mitchell	$24k
2008	CSI	Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Program Act	Greg Mitchell	$24k
2009	CSI	Prison Litigation Reform Act	Greg Mitchell	$10k
2009	CSI	Second Chance Act	Greg Mitchell	$17.5k
2009	CSI	National Criminal Justice Commission Act	Greg Mitchell	$21.7k
2009	CSI	Re-authorization of special immigration programs: Special immigration programs extension bills 2009 Immigration-related Appropriations Bills 2010	Greg Mitchell	$55.9k
2010	CSI	National Criminal Justice Commission Act	Greg Mitchell	$30k
2010	CSI	Second Chance Act	Greg Mitchell	$17.5k
2010	CSI	Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act	Greg Mitchell	$55k
2011	CSI	International Religious Freedom Act Amendments	Greg Mitchell	$12.5k
2011	CSI	US Commission on International Religious Freedom Appropriations Bills 2011	Greg Mitchell	$12.5k
2011	CSI	Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia Bills	Greg Mitchell	$12.5k
2011	CSI	Second Chance Act	Greg Mitchell	$12.5k
2011	CSI	National Criminal Justice Commission Act	Greg Mitchell	$12.5k
2011	CSI	Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act	Greg Mitchell	$12.5k
2011	CSI	Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2011	Greg Mitchell	$12.5k
2011	CSI	Prison Litigation Reform Act	Greg Mitchell	$12.5k
2012	CSI	SAFE Act opposition	Greg Mitchell	$3.3k
2012	CSI	Magnitsky Act	Greg Mitchell	$3.3k
2012	CSI	EB-5, E-verify and Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Programs Extension Bill	Greg Mitchell	$3.3k
2012	CSI	Iran state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority resolution	Greg Mitchell	$3.3k
2014	CSI	US Commission on International Religious Freedom Appropriations Bills 2014	Greg Mitchell	$21.3k
2014	CSI	Persecution of minority groups within Burma resolution	Greg Mitchell	$6.5k
2015	CSI	International Religious Freedom Act Amendments	Greg Mitchell	$11.2k
2015	CSI	US Commission on International Religious Freedom Appropriations Bills 2015	Greg Mitchell	$23.9k
2015	CSI	FIRST Freedom Act opposition	Greg Mitchell	$8.3k
2015	CSI	ISIL atrocities against minorities joint resolutions	Greg Mitchell	$3.3k
2015	CSI	Magnitsky Act	Greg Mitchell	$2.9k
2015	CSI	Global repeal of blasphemy laws resolution	Greg Mitchell	$3.3k
2015	CSI	Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Program Act	Greg Mitchell	$2.9k
2016	CSI	International Religious Freedom Act Amendments	Greg Mitchell	$12.2k
2016	CSI	Freedom of Information Act Amendments	Greg Mitchell	$5k
2016	CSI	ISIL atrocities against minorities joint resolutions	Greg Mitchell	$2.2k

• International Religious Freedom Act of 1998
• Trans-Atlantic Religious Protection Act
• Freedom to Trade Act
• Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
• Child Medication Safety Act of 2003

Common issues

(add pie chart for summariing data in the quick reference table above)

See also

• Direct Lobbying in the United States article from Wikipedia
• Lobbying in the United States article from Wikipedia

External links

• Search OpenSecrets Lobbying Spending Database
• US House of Representatives Public Disclosure Search
• US Senate Lobbying Database Search