Lobbyists, Lobbying Disclosure, Lobbying Reform, and “Washington’s Lobbying Fix”

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Lobbyists, lobbying disclosure, and lobbying reform were the topics of an Advisory Committee on Transparency panel discussion this past Monday on Capitol Hill. Our panel of experts discussed the current state of lobbying disclosure, evaluated the need for lobbying reform, and considered proposals for real-time lobbying disclosure.

I was fortunate to be joined on the panel by Washington Post reporter Dan Eggen, Center for Responsive Politics executive director Sheila Krumholz, Sunlight government affairs consultant Lisa Rosenberg, American League of Lobbyists past-president Paul Miller, and American Bar Association director of government affairs Tom Susman.

We had a lively and informative discussion that was recorded by C-Span for your viewing pleasure.

Here are links to the recommendations for reform drafted by Sunlight, ABA’s Lobbying Task Force, and the American League of Lobbyists. Photos from the event can be found on the Sunlight Foundation’s flickr account. More resources are available after the jump.

Third-Party Websites

  • OpenSecrets.org. A non-partisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. Elections and public policy.
  • TransparencyData.com. A central source for federal lobbying disclosure, federal grants and contracts, earmarks and federal and state campaign contributions.
  • FollowTheMoney.org. The nation’s most complete resource for information on money in state politics.

Government Websites

Reports and Articles

Legislation