On January 11, the ABA announced that the Task Force on Federal Lobbying Laws, organized by the ABA Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section, had issued a report that recommends changes in various provisions of federal lobbying laws. In brief, the report, according to the ABA press release, recommends (1) greater transparency with respect to outside firms that lobbyists retain to do additional work and with respect to lobbyists’ identification of specific legislative or executive offices that they plan to contact; (2) a two-year prohibition on lobbyists who advocate a position before a Member of Congress fundraising for that Member, and on fundraisers for a Member lobbying that Member; (3) restrictions on lobbyists who seek earmarks or other narrow financial benefits from Congress, including a ban on contingent fees; and (4) assignment of lobbying enforcement to a regulatory body such as the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, and assignment of appropriate administrative powers to that body.
On January 18, C-SPAN broadcast a discussion of the report by the Task Force’s Co-Chair, Trevor Potter. The Harvard Law School News also issued a press release about the report that featured another Task Force Co-Chair, Professor Charles Fried.
This post was originally published on the legacy ABA Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Notice and Comment blog, which merged with the Yale Journal on Regulation Notice and Comment blog in 2015.
On January 11, the ABA announced that the Task Force on Federal Lobbying Laws, organized by the ABA Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section, had issued a report that recommends changes in various provisions of federal lobbying laws. In brief, the report, according to the ABA press release, recommends (1) greater transparency with respect to outside firms that lobbyists retain to do additional work and with respect to lobbyists’ identification of specific legislative or executive offices that they plan to contact; (2) a two-year prohibition on lobbyists who advocate a position before a Member of Congress fundraising for that Member, and on fundraisers for a Member lobbying that Member; (3) restrictions on lobbyists who seek earmarks or other narrow financial benefits from Congress, including a ban on contingent fees; and (4) assignment of lobbying enforcement to a regulatory body such as the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, and assignment of appropriate administrative powers to that body.
On January 18, C-SPAN broadcast a discussion of the report by the Task Force’s Co-Chair, Trevor Potter. The Harvard Law School News also issued a press release about the report that featured another Task Force Co-Chair, Professor Charles Fried.
This post was originally published on the legacy ABA Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Notice and Comment blog, which merged with the Yale Journal on Regulation Notice and Comment blog in 2015.