Resolution attempts to steer federal employees away from Augusta National

WASHINGTON - Several lawmakers are suggesting that if women can&#39;t play golf at Augusta National then senators, congressmen, judges and political appointees shouldn&#39;t either. <br> <br> Representatives Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, and John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, are introducing a resolution Monday in the U.S. House calling on top federal employees to stay away from organizations that discriminate on the basis of race or sex. <br> <br> The measure, which is nonbinding on the employees, is a clear swipe at the golf course that hosts The Masters, the first major on the Professional Golf Association&#39;s annual tour of tournaments. Augusta National has been at the center of controversy concerning its rule prohibiting women from joining. <br> <br> Augusta National Golf Club was founded in 1931 with the all-male membership requirement. But with the sport&#39;s popularity growing and The Masters producing lucrative television revenues, critics say it shouldn&#39;t be viewed as a private club but a public business, subject to the discrimination laws of any other. <br> <br> Some prominent members have resigned their membership in the club because of the controversy. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow is one of the latest. CBS chief executive Thomas H. Wyman quit last year after 25 years as a member. <br> <br> A federal judge in Augusta today scheduled a hearing for Wednesday on a lawsuit by Martha Burk, head of the National Council of Women&#39;s Organizations, challenging the city&#39;s law regulating public protests. <br> <br> Burk sued Augusta for violating her free-speech rights March 12 after Sheriff Ronald Strength denied her permission to place 24 protesters just outside Augusta National&#39;s main gate and 200 more across the street. Burk rejected an alternate site picked by the sheriff about a half-mile away.