Lobbying Reform
Sunlight is advocating for the Lobbyist Disclosure Enhancement Act. Introduced in June by Rep. Mike Quigley, this legislation would significantly increase public knowledge of influence wielding in Washington. The legislation would require lobbyists to disclose the names of covered executive branch officials or Members of Congress lobbied (or the name of the employer if the lobbyist meets with staff), the dates of the meetings, and the issues discussed. The bill would also close a loophole in who needs to report – a loophole which currently allows some of the most powerful players in Washington to engage in lobbying activities with no disclosure. The bill also significantly speeds disclosure of new registrations, reduces delays in reporting of lobbyists’ contributions, and strengthens enforcement mechanisms.
Sunlight is also advocating for legislators to change lobbying rules so that the public has real-time, online information about who is influencing policy decisions on Capitol Hill. Please read and comment on Sunlight’s legislative proposal, The Real-Time Online Lobbying Disclosure Act on PublicMarkup.org. We’d love to have your thoughts and input during this process.
Want to be a part of the effort to make sure there’s no more stealth lobbyists? Interested in closing the loopholes that help lobbyists avoid disclosing their influence peddling? Think the public should know which members of Congress lobbyists are meeting with?
Join us – sign up below, and we’ll keep you posted on our efforts and ways you can get involved.
Read Goals for Lobbying Disclosure Act Amendments
Look at our thoughts on what needs to be included in an improved lobbying disclosure law. It’s time the public knows what the power players behind the scenes in Washington. Be a part of that effort.
Sunlight Posts and Resources:
- Add Gingrich to the Long List of Stealth Lobbyists
- No Bold Steps in Chicago Lobbying Reform
- Pity the Poor Lobbyists
- Lobbyist Disclosure Enhancement Act Introduced
- While the Public is Shut Out, Former Members Lobby on Debt Ceiling with Abandon
- Establishing Lobbying Regulation Norms on the State Level
- New York Times Calls for an Expansion of the Definition of Lobbying
- Lobbyists Contribution Reports Should be Filed in Real Time
- Lobbying Laws Need to Capture All Who Lobby
- Tom Daschle’s New Job Title: Stealth Lobbyist?”
- Following the Activity One Year After Citizens United
- Make Lobbying for Foreign Interests More Transparent
- When Political Money is Too Hard to Track, Follow the Lobbyists
- Disinformation on Lobbying
- Sunlight’s Lobbying Tracker Tools:
- Lobbying Registration Tracker
- Foreign Lobbying Filings
- Post Employment Tracking
- Party Time
Articles from the Press
- Washington Post: Gingrich think tank collected millions from health-care industry
- The Hill: Lobbyists Need to Break our Code of Silence
- TPMMuckraker: What The Lobbyists’ Lobbyist Is Lobbying For
- New York Times Editorial: That Didn’t Take Long
- Roll Call: Quigley Seeks Greater Transparency From Lobbyists
- New York Times: Lobbyists Get Potent Weapon in Campaign Ruling
The Lobbying Disclosure Enhancement Act (LDEA)
- H.R. 2339 – Lobbyist Disclosure Enhancement Act
- Rep. Mike Quigley Press Release
- Rep. Mike Quigley Dear Colleague Letter Requesting Support for LDEA
- Rep. Mike Quigley’s LDEA Section-by-Section breakdown
- Roll Call: Quigley Seeks Greater Transparency From Lobbyists
- Sunlight Blog Post: Lobbyist Disclosure Enhancement Act Introduced
- Sunlight Blog Post: While the Public is Shut Out, Former Members Lobby on Debt Ceiling with Abandon
- Sunlight Blog Post: Pity the Poor Lobbyists
