Lobbying Reform & Government Ethics

Lobbying Reform & Government Ethics: Blog

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Past Proposals from the 109th Congress

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Lobbying Reform & Government Ethics Resource Center

The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act became law in September 2007. It makes the relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers more transparent by requiring increased public disclosure of funds spent by lobbyists and of the actions of members of Congress. This resource center provides the latest information, news, background and analysis on implementation of the law and related rules in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Latest Developments

Obama Transition And Issues of Ethics Nov. 10, 2008

Groups Release Agenda to Overhaul the Presidential Public Financing System Along with New Ethics and Lobbying Reforms Nov. 7, 2008

New GAO Report on Lobbyist Compliance with Disclosure Reporting Oct. 3, 2008

FEC Holds Hearing on Bundling Rule Sept. 18, 2008

Oral Argument in NAM Lobbying Disclosure Case Sept. 16, 2008

Read more at the Lobbying and Ethics Reform Blog

News

Court Upholds Stealth Lobbying Disclosure 04/29/2008
The National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) legal challenge to the stealth lobbying disclosure provisions in the 2007 lobbying and ethics reform law was rejected by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on April 11. After the U.S. Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant a stay pending appeal, NAM announced it would comply with the law while its appeal proceeds by disclosing members who contributed more than $5,000 toward lobbying in a quarter and have supervision, control, or active participation in NAM's federal lobbying efforts. Read More

After Long Delays, House Creates Independent Ethics Panel 03/18/2008
On March 11, the House voted to create an Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). The six-member independent panel will have the power to begin formal investigations into allegations of ethics violations of House members and either dismiss the claims or refer them to the House Ethics Committee. OCE members will be appointed jointly by the Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader. The debate over the panel was intense, and Democratic leaders were forced to pull the proposal from the floor twice before the vote. The vote ends a process that took more than a year to resolve. Read More

Lobbying and Ethics Reforms Being Implemented 11/06/2007
President Bush signed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA), S.1, on Sept. 14; revised House ethics rules took effect in March. The focus of these reforms has now shifted to implementation of the changes. Congressional officials have started developing the new forms and guidance that will be used by lobbyists to comply with the law. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has proposed new regulations to implement campaign contribution bundling disclosure requirements. From lobbyists to lawyers, nonprofits, and members of Congress themselves, all parties in Washington have begun preparing for these and other adjustments to their current practices. Read More

Lobby and Ethics Reform Bill Becomes Law 09/25/2007
On Sept. 14, President Bush signed into law the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, S. 1. The new law amends some provisions of the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) to make the relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers more transparent by requiring increased public disclosure of funds spent by lobbyists and of the actions of members of Congress. Because of rumors that President Bush would veto the measure, it was sent to him after Labor Day to avoid a veto while Congress was in recess. Read More

Congress Passes Sweeping Lobbying and Ethics Reforms 08/07/2007
After a year-long debate and negotiations over enacting lobbying and ethics reforms, Congress finally passed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (S. 1). While not an ideal set of reforms, the new law is the most significant lobbying and ethics reform in a decade and should make important strides in increasing accountability and transparency in Washington. Read More

OMB Watch Urges Senate to "Get It Done" on Lobbying and Ethics Reform 08/01/2007
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2007—OMB Watch today urged the Senate to follow the House's lead and ensure that lobbying and ethics reform legislation, known as S. 1, is passed before Congress's August recess. Read More

Pressure to Pass Lobby Reform Grows 07/24/2007
No one is certain when Congress will leave for its summer recess. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said the Senate will recess only when it has passed several high profile bills, including lobby reform. Progress on this legislation has stalled because Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) has used parliamentary procedure to stop Reid from appointing the Senate conferees. One solution to the problem may be that the House and Senate pass identical bills to avoid a conference. However, reform groups have raised concerns about this process, since it may result in weakened legislation. Read More

Lobby Reform Bill Passes House without Grassroots Lobbying Disclosure 05/30/2007
By a vote of 396-22, the House approved new lobbying reform legislation on May 24 when it passed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (H.R. 2316). The bill increases the reporting requirements for registered lobbyists, establishes a new electronic disclosure system, imposes new penalties for violating lobbying laws, and includes the controversial proposal to require registered lobbyists to report their bundled campaign contributions (H.R. 2317). The bill will now go to conference committee with a similar Senate bill that was passed in January. Read More

House Lobby Reform Bill Expected to Move Soon
The leadership in the House has been working on its legislation to reform lobbying disclosure and ethics practices and is expected to unveil the plan today, May 15, or tomorrow, May 16, with a mark-up of the bill in the Judiciary Committee expected May 17. Despite repeated statements that a bill will be filed soon, controversy over grassroots lobbying disclosure, limits on bundling of campaign contributions by registered lobbyists and expansion of the cooling off period before ex-members of Congress can lobby have stalled progress. Rumors abound that the Democratic leadership bill will address the revolving door issue by doubling the cooling off period to two years. But the other two issues — grassroots lobbying disclosure and bundling of campaign contributions — are not likely to be addressed, although the leadership seems willing to have them offered as amendments or separate bills. Read More

OMB Watch Urges House to Support Disclosure of Grassroots Lobbying Expenditures 05/10/2007
On May 8, OMB Watch sent a letter to the House of Representatives, urging members to support the disclosure of federal grassroots lobbying expenditures. The letter stresses that disclosure of funding sources, particularly those behind big money grassroots lobbying campaigns, is a critical element in rooting out corruption and establishing a system that creates public trust. Read More

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