Access to Policymakers

Articles & Analysis

Study Reveals the Focus on Lobbyists Could be Flawed

According to a study conducted by OMB Watch and the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), 1,418 federally registered lobbyists "deregistered" with Congress in the second quarter of 2009 (between April and June). This is a considerably higher rate than that seen in the average reporting period, when a few hundred lobbyists terminate their active status. The groups cautioned that this finding does not necessarily mean that the Obama administration's policies on lobbyists are leading to fewer outside influences on government policy, or that those policies are creating more transparency.

White House Announces Changes to Recovery Act Lobbying Memo

In a blog post on May 29, Norm Eisen, Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform, announced changes to President Obama's March 20 memorandum that placed restrictions on communications between federally registered lobbyists and executive branch employees regarding the use of Recovery Act funds. After completing a 60-day review, the administration modified the oral communications ban to include not just federally registered lobbyists, but everyone who contacts government officials. However, that ban appears to only apply to competitive grant applications that have been submitted for review.

Disclosure of Recovery Act Lobbying Far from Comprehensive

President Barack Obama's March 20 memo restricts communications between federally registered lobbyists and executive branch employees on use of Recovery Act funds and requires disclosure of written communications. A closer examination of the summaries of lobbyist contacts with federal agencies shows that there are few online postings of those communications; some agencies have not posted any contacts at all. According to a review of the 29 agencies receiving stimulus money, only 110 contacts had been disclosed as of May 18.

Lobbying for Recovery Act Funding Restricted

On April 7, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued interim guidance on how to comply with President Barack Obama’s March 20 memorandum that restricts contact between registered lobbyists and executive branch officials regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Nonprofit Input Sought on the Future of Communicating with Congress

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a nonprofit, non-partisan organization working to improve communications between citizens and members of Congress, recently released two important documents that could have significant implications for Congress and the public. One report, Communicating with Congress: How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement, reveals that the Internet has revitalized citizen communication with Congress. A draft report, Communicating with Congress: Recommendations for Improving the Democratic Dialogue, seeks public comment on a new model for constituent communications and makes specific recommendations for congressional offices, citizens, and advocacy groups.

Conference Focuses on E-mail Frustration Felt by Congress and Advocacy Groups

On Oct.1, the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a nonpartisan nonprofit organization working to improve the effectiveness of Congress, held a forum on constituent communications with Congress. The goal of the conference was to "identify ways to make it easier for citizens to express their views to Congress in an effective way and for congressional offices to manage and get value from the communications they receive." The massive amount of e-mail Congress receives from constituents was the main topic of discussion. Both nonprofit advocacy groups and congressional staffers agreed that the current approach to e-mail communications works for neither side, but they were unable to find common ground on solutions. CMF will release a draft report in early 2008 on the conference and its research on the topic, with the goal of fostering a new model of constituent communications with Congress.

Nonprofits Protest Barrier to Emailing Congress

A coalition of more than 100 nonprofits is protesting a new filter used by some congressional offices to block spam, arguing it also inhibits constituent communications. The filter, or "logic puzzle" as it is called, requires senders to answer a question before a message is sent, making it more difficult for online advocacy campaigns that use forms.

Study Points to Improvements in Communication With Congress in Digital Age

A recent report by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a nonprofit organization that provides management advice to members of Congress and their staff, described improvements both congressional staff and advocacy groups should implement to improve the quality of communications to and from Congress in the Internet age.

Recent Campaign Finance Decisions

In recent campaign finance decisions, a Federal Election Commission (FEC) ruling allows members of Congress to help associations raise general funds, the AFL-CIO wins a case protecting privacy of internal records used in an FEC investigation, and the Supreme Court rules rules that nonprofits cannot make direct contributions to federal campaigns.

Court Strikes Down Blanket Issue Advocacy Ban in Campaign Finance Law

On May 2 a special federal three-judge panel ruled some parts of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) unconstitutional, while upholding others. There is good news for nonprofits engaged in genuine issue advocacy, since the court struck down the blanket ban on broadcasts that refer to federal candidates within 60 days of a federal election or 30 days of a primary.