One year after passing Dodd Frank Financial reform, much of the work of reforming America’s financial system still lies ahead. This is not too surprising considering the sheer size of the legislation. The law created 243 rules and requires agencies to produce 67 studies, according to Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation. One-hundred-twenty-two deadlines are due between July 16 and July 21.
The law also requires agencies to make new data from disclosures filed by financial firms public, but to do so agencies must overcome obstacles such as lack of funding and limited bureaucratic capacity ...
Continue readingInfluence Explored: Credit ratings agencies score the U.S. government, and lobby it, too
The ongoing negotiations in Congress over raising the U.S. debt ceiling have prompted Moody’s Corp, a bond rating agency, to... View Article
Continue readingLobbyists pay millions to honor Congress, executive branch
Last year, four of the country’s biggest military contractors paid $100,000 or more to become top sponsors of a black tie charity gala that honored the influential former chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo.
In exchange for that gift, some of the company's top executives were placed at Skelton's table and all were given the chance to address the V.I.P. crowd that included many top military officials. The event benefited a charity for families of fallen soldiers.
This kind of lavish corporate spending on galas bestowing awards on executive ...
Continue readingGraphic: Lobbyists’ Honorary Gifts to Federal Officials
Companies and organizations can donate an unlimited amount of money to honor officials, sponsor their conferences, and donate to their pet charities, so long as these donations are reported to the Senate. The Sunlight Foundation analyzed these filings from 2009 and 2010 and found about $50 million in honorary gifts and meeting costs. These donations can all be viewed in the interactive display below by company making the donation or by official being honored.
Viewers can filter the data by the type of honoree (executive branch officials and members of Congress, for example) and can further narrow the display to ...
Continue readingShell moves closer to drilling in Arctic, EPA moves closer to less regulatory authority
On Wednesday, the House passed a bill 253-166 to limit the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency and expedite the... View Article
Continue readingInfluence Explored: The organizations behind silicone implants
The Los Angeles Times published an article in its Science and Environment section today that outlined the politics behind the... View Article
Continue readingLobbyist Disclosure Enhancement Act Introduced
Representatives Quigley and Polis took a significant step toward improving what we know about Washington power players by introducing the... View Article
Continue readingInfluence Explored: Corporations lobby for tax breaks
An article on the front page of the New York Times yesterday reported on the pressure some major corporations—such as Microsoft—... View Article
Continue readingPalestinian lobbyists meet with key decision makers
The Palestine Liberation Organization recently filed their bi-annual lobbying documents that show outreach to top decision makers, media and academia, and list meetings with up and coming policy leaders.
Lobbyists met with Dan Shapiro of the National Security Council a few months before before President Obama appointed him to be the U.S. envoy to Israel.
The general delegation of the PLO to the U.S. also honored General James Mattis on December 2011 at an event hosted by the Ambassador of Yemen. The event took place before he was named U.S. Central Command, replacing General David Petraeus.
Another ...
Continue readingYes, but will Bayh register?
The Center for Public Integrity’s iWatchNews reports that former Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., has a new gig working for the... View Article
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