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Lobbying Profession Urges Restraint in Efforts to Implement Lobbying Reform
November 14, 2006 – Alexandria, VA – Today the American League of Lobbyists (ALL) called on Congress to proceed both cautiously and reasonably as it considers lobbying legislation in the new Congress.
"We're concerned that the message being sent by Members of the new Congress about the lobbying profession is unfairly negative. Lobbyists should not once again become the target of overreaching reforms that won't achieve a goal of openness and transparency," claimed Paul Miller, President of the League.
In light of proposals to amend the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), the Board of Directors reissued its 2005 principles regarding LDA changes and asks Congress to consider them in their discussions to pass extensive lobbying reforms. ALL supports the concept of sunshine in government but questions whether current law is insufficient.
Press reports on misconduct of a few lobbyists have focused congressional attention on lobbying disclosure as a means of correcting problems. ALL's leadership believes (1) the LDA changes being proposed do not address the problems; and (2) rule changes within the House and Senate are sufficient to accomplish changes without the need for additional legislation.
"Senator McCain and the Indian Affairs Committee unanimously concluded in their "Gimme Five Report" that additional federal legislation is not necessary as the current laws are effective. I hope Congress will listen to Senator McCain and his committee," added Miller.
The full principles can be viewed at http://www.alldc.org/press/lda_fiveprinciples.pdf but the basics are as follows:
- Rules and Regulations Should Apply to All
- Review and Enforcement
- Uniform Electronic Filing System
- Full Online Disclosure
- Code of Ethics
"People may not like the system, but we need to be fair about this. Those who broke the law are going to prison. The system does work and before we begin implementing extensive new rules and changes to the LDA, we would ask Congress to do a thorough review of the LDA, hold public hearings on this issue, then and only then decide if legislation is necessary. If transparency is the goal, then we need to take these steps before passing something that does not have the input of every interested and affected party," concluded Miller.
The American League of Lobbyists remains committed to doing everything it can to promote good government and strengthen public trust in the legislative process. The League is prepared to work with Congress as needed on LDA changes, and is hopeful that these principles will be taken into consideration during this debate. ALL supports full and complete compliance with the LDA requirements as currently written or as may be re-written in the future.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN LEAGUE OF LOBBYISTS: For the past 26 years, the mission of the American League of Lobbyists has been to enhance the development of professionalism, competence and high ethical standards for advocates in the public policy arena; collectively address challenges which affect the first amendment right to "petition the government for redress of grievances," and promote ethical lobbying through the ALL Lobbying Code of Ethics. Membership, which currently stands at over 800, is available to governmental affairs professionals working at the federal, state, or local level.
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Last updated: November 15, 2006
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