Lobbying Reform & Government Ethics 109th Congress

The push for lobbying and ethics reform began in earnest in the 109th Congress, though many of the proposals gained little, if any, traction. Despite that lack of progress, many of the past bills are shaping reform proposals in the 110th Congress. Below are links to news and analysis of past bills, organized by the House and the Senate.

House

Lobby Reform Update: Shays, Meehan Introduce Bill
While the conference committee to reconcile House and Senate versions of lobby reform legislation remains in limbo, two House members have introduced a new, stronger lobby reform bill, and a Senate committee has called for an investigation into misuse of charities by Abramoff and others.

Summary of the H.R. 2412, the Special Interest Lobbying and Ethics Accountability Act of 2005
On May 17, 2005, Reps. Marty Meehan (D-MA) and Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) formally filed H.R. 2412, the Special Interest Lobbying and Ethics Accountability Act (SILEA), a lobbying reform bill. The bill amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) and focuses on four main areas of reform: enhancing lobby disclosure, slowing the revolving door, curbing excesses in privately funded travel, and strengthening enforcement and oversight of ethics and lobbying disclosure. This summary provides background on LDA and details on the bill.

Senate

Senate Lobbying Reform Legislation: Specific Provisions Relating to Nonprofits
This paper provides a summary of action to date on legislation being considered on the Senate floor and a review of provisions relating to nonprofits. Although the entire legislation affects the nonprofit community by helping to offset the role money has in influencing public policy, there are provisions specifically applying to nonprofits that we describe.

Summary of the Markup of the Collins/Lieberman Substitute to S. 2128
On Mar. 2, 2006, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the Collins/Lieberman substitute to S. 2128, the Lobbying Transparency and Accountability Act, legislation aimed at tightening ethics and lobbying rules for both lobbyists and members of Congress and their staffs.

Amid Reform Frenzy, Senate Democrats Introduce Lobby Reform Bill
Since the guilty plea by lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Congress has been hurriedly preparing lobby and ethics reform legislation. Republicans announced their ideas at a Jan. 17 press conference that seemed mostly designed to pre-empt the unveiling of Democrats plan on Jan. 18. The Senate Democrats followed their press event with the introduction of a comprehensive bill authored by Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). In our view, the Reid bill is a solid beginning, but falls short of adequately addressing the culture of corruption that surrounds Washington politics today. To follow is an analysis of the Reid bill and its impact on lobbying generally and nonprofit lobbying specifically.