By Tim Starks, CQ Staff

House Republicans are so intent on goading the Democrats into taking up the Senate’s electronic surveillance bill that they’ve tried to attach it to some strange vehicles.

Like an unrelated mental health parity bill (HR 1424).

“This bill is intended to ensure the mental health of Americans; yet, no American’s health can be fully secured if they are under attack by a terrorist or facing the potential threat of terrorist attack,” said Rep. Peter Hoekstra , R-Mich., who last week offered one more in a string of Republican motions to recommit a measure to add the Senate version of electronic surveillance legislation (HR 3773).

The motion failed, as did another GOP move last week to postpone the markup of a chemical security proposal in order to focus attention on the electronic surveillance issue.

But it’s not just Republicans giving the Democrats headaches over the issue.

The liberal group Democracy for America is mounting an ad campaign aimed at pressuring House Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes , D-Texas, to reject the Senate bill. The group opposes bill language that would grant retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies being sued for providing private customer information to the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program.

Reyes has said he’s keeping an open mind on the issue and has not yet decided whether immunity is necessary.