While the word “lobbyist” might evoke images of power brokers in Washington, D.C., lobbyists are also influential at the local... View Article
Continue readingThe DC Council should consider improved lobbying disclosure
The idea that Washington, DC's lobbying disclosure schedule is inadequate is not new, but it might be easy to improve thanks to new legislation targeting campaign finance reform. Lobbying and campaign finance are inherently linked. Companies that lobby the city government invariably give to political campaigns. Currently, those who lobby the DC government and Council only have to report their activities and expenditures twice a year. As a result, journalists, watchdogs and interested citizens often have to wait until far after important debates for crucial information about the special interests that were working to influence policy decisions. Moreover, the bi-yearly requirements make it difficult to paint a complete picture of influence spending, especially in an election year.
Continue readingNews Without Transparency: Albany Lobbying is Recession Proof
News Without Transparency- Albany Lobbying is Recession Proof Lobbying is big business in New York. Earlier this year, the Legislative... View Article
Continue readingRep. Miller Offers Timely Reminder of Lack of Congressional Ethics
Here's another timely reminder that, though the 109th Congress is on its way out the door, the inattention to ethics of its members will remain a subject well into the 110th. The Los Angeles Times reports on official actions and personal enrichment, in which a member of Congress makes something more than a cameo appearance:
With community activists packed into the Monrovia Community Center one winter night in 2000, U.S. Rep. Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) implored City Council members to purchase 165 acres he owned in the foothills and turn the land into a wilderness preserve. Continue reading