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Advocacy Blog
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
House GOP Leadership Unveils Lobby Reform Package
House Republican leaders lobbying package today met with reservations from the rank and file Republican members. Reportedly, Members are concerned about the provisions on privately funded travel, earmarks and gift bans.
The draft does not currently contain a grassroots lobby disclosure provision. But it should. Why? Check out our paper on grassroots lobbying.
A draft will be available Thursday, but legislation will probably not be introduced until after the St. Patrick's Day recess.
According to Congress Daily, the package:
- ban such travel for the remainder of the 109th Congress and give the Ethics Committee a Dec. 15 deadline to come back with a plan for pre-approving privately funded travel.
- not ban or alter gift rules, but would require lobbyists to disclose such activity, and the current one-year revolving door ban would remain intact.
- creates a new mechanism for the clerk of the House to send a letter to members and aides leaving Capitol Hill, informing them of the start and end date of the lobbying ban.
- moving to a quarterly filing system
- requiring registrants to detail all prior employment from a seven-year period before becoming a lobbyists
- disclosing gifts and meals to members and staff.
- create an auditing authority for the House inspector general to do spot audits on lobbyist disclosure records.
- ban lobbyists from accompanying members on corporate aircraft and would require members to pay first-class ticket rates for privately chartered planes.
- new disclosure requirements for so-called 527 groups
- new disclosure requirement on earmarks in appropriations bills.
Posted by Jennifer Lowe
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