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More than three dozen liberal-leaning groups vowed Wednesday to oppose Democratic campaign-reform legislation if it includes a special deal exempting the National Rifle Association, casting further doubt on the legislation's prospects.

Many liberal groups have united in outrage over the deal negotiated earlier this week by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who is attempting to garner support for a bill that would require most corporations, unions and nonprofit groups to identify top donors and other infomation related to spending on election advertising and other political activities. The NRA had threatened to oppose the bill without an exemption, leading to a compromise disclosed Monday.

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the Alliance for Justice, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and 43 other groups decried an exemption "which,
given the amendment's language, in reality only applies to one entity, the National Rifle
Association."

"It is inappropriate and inequitable to create a two-tiered system of campaign finance laws and First Amendment protections, one for the most powerful and influential and another for everyone else," the letter says. "There is no legitimate justification for privileging the speech of one entity over another, or of reducing the burdens of compliance for the biggest organization yet retaining them for the smallest."

The blowback from liberal groups presents another serious political challenge for Van Hollen, who is attempting to pull together enough Democratic votes to pass the bill amid concerted Republican opposition. The legislation, which is joined by a companion bill in the Senate, is aimed at pushing back against a Supreme Court ruling, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, that opened the way for unlimited corporate and union spending on elections. Van Hollen has said he hoped to introduce the bill on the floor as early as Thursday.

Under the compromise, longstanding national groups with more than 1 million members and that receive less than 15 percent of their funding from corporations would be exempt from requirements to disclose major funders of political-related activities. It is unclear what groups other than the NRA might qualify: Although Democratic aides cited the Humane Society of the United States as an example, a Humane Society spokeswoman said it would not qualify for the exception because of the way it is organized.

A number of prominent reform groups, including Democracy 21, Common Cause and Public Citizen, have come out in favor of the legislation even with the NRA deal, arguing that the overall value of the bill outweighs any objections. White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer also praised the legislation in a blog post earlier Wednesday, saying the bill "will ensure that corporations who participate in American elections are held accountable to the American people."

But in their letter to Pelosi, the liberal groups say that while they support the overarching goal of the legislation, they find the NRA exemption too unpalatable to accept. "We urge you in the strongest possible terms to work with the sponsors to remove the offending language and restore the integrity of the bill so we can continue to participate in efforts to craft legislation," the letter reads.

Update, 5:20 p.m.:
Van Hollen spokesman Doug Thornell said Wednesday that the legislation "will increase transparency and disclosure, and ensure the American people know who is spending money on elections. It's the public's best defense against a takeover of our elections and democracy by powerful special interests."

Update, 5:50 p.m.
Also on Wednesday, more than 200 business groups and local affiliates led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce weighed in with a letter to House members urging them to vote no on the legislation, which would require such groups to disclose more details about their donors and political activities.