LDA Referrals Rise, Little Action Taken

Senate officials recently sent federal law enforcement authorities an additional 2,685 cases of potential violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act, bringing the total of LDA referrals to 8,281, according to a posting on the Senate's website.
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CA Lobbyists Sue to Stop $700 Fee

Californians this summer will vote on whether lobbyists should be charged fees to pay for statewide elections. And state lobbyists are suing to strip the measure from the June primary election ballot.
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Donations from Lobbyists Down in 2009

The number of registered lobbyists making campaign contributions to members of Congress has declined by 22 percent in 2009, compared with the same period in 2007 (the most recent non-election year), according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP).
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Lobbyists Shed the Scarlet 'L'

Here's the upshot of Obama's first six months in office: Many D.C. lobbyists feel like pariahs, according to National Journal Magazine, which quotes several lobbyists who tell of colleagues who are either avoiding registering as lobbyists or ending their lobbyist status, even if they stay engaged in advocacy.
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Obama Administration Has 'Thriving' Relationship With Lobbyists

Despite President Obama's tough rules designed to limit lobbyist influence on the White House, the new administration has a "growing and thriving relationship with K Street," Roll Call reports.
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Congress Makes More Clarifications to Lobbying Disclosure Rules

Congressional officials have amended new guidelines for those trying to terminate a lobbying registration - saying that lobbyists can deregister if they don't "reasonably expect" to make any future direct contacts.
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Lobbying Rule Revisions Have Some Good News, Pinkham Tells Council Members

 

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Council Suggests Alternatives to Anti-Lobbying Rules

After months of complaints from lobbyists and others that Obama's new "gag" rules unfairly target lobbyists, the Public Affairs Council petitioned the White House to consider alternatives, two national publications wrote on their blogs.
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Pinkham Suggests Alternative to White House Lobbying Restrictions

Instead of restricting executive branch communications with lobbyists seeking Recovery Act funds, the White House should create a searchable database of only essential information that tracks all conversations about such funds, including those with the Washington lawyers, non-profit executives, state lobbyists and others not covered by the administration's lobbyist restrictions, Public Affairs Council President Douglas Pinkham suggests in a letter to the White House.
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Council President Doug Pinkham's Letter to Norm Eisen

May 11, 2009

Mr. Norman Eisen
Special Counsel to the President
For Ethics & Government Reform
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. Eisen:

I am writing to comment on the March 20, 2009, presidential memorandum restricting federally registered lobbyists who seek to meet with executive branch officials about specific projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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