Lobbying Reform
News & Commentary | Archive | Resources

In 1995, the Congress enacted the first major lobbying law changes in 50 years.  The Lobbying Disclosure Act was designed to plug well-established gaps in the previous law:  it applied to staff as well as Members, and it provided for more uniform statements of the interests represented and the amounts spent for lobbying purposes.  A decade later, with scandals of one kind or another in the air, lobbying regulation has been restored to the reform agenda.  This space will contain regular reports on developments in this area of the law. 

On Lobbying  12/17/08

Ethics Reform in the Last Year  9/11/08

Bye Bye to the Gift Bag  8/26/08

The New "Guidance" on Ethics  7/23/08

A Bundle of Issues: The FEC’s Proposed Bundling Rules  10/27/07

Bundling and the Regulatory System  9/20/07

The Press and the Campaigns: On the Subject of Bundling and Consultants  9/4/07

Reform as a Refresher Course, More Toughly Graded  8/7/07

At Weekend: Angst about the Future, More Regulation in the Present  8/3/07

Bundling in the House  5/25/07

"Independence" and Accountability in Ethics Enforcement  3/5/07

U.S. PIRG and Independent Congressional Ethics Enforcement  2/8/07

More Disclosure Likely With Senate Changes to Lobbyist Disclosure Act  1/24/07

A Second Look at the Ethics Rules: Planes, Tix and More  1/10/07

Preparing for New Ethics Rules: First Looks  1/4/07

Lobbying Reform and the Principle of Reciprocation  1/3/07

Reform as Entertainment  5/5/06

“Something Has Changed” as an Argument for Reform  5/3/06

Another Kind of “Sham” Lobbying Reform  4/25/06

Pitiful (Pitiless) Disclosure in Lobbying Reform  4/3/06

Testimony before the House Rules Committee on Reform of Gift and Travel Rules  3/9/06

Reform and the Problem of Political Leadership  3/3/06

A Report Today on Texas Redistricting: and the Arrival of Potentially Radical Ethics Reform  3/1/06

The Future of Anglo-American Ethics: What Tom Coburn and the Hard-Left Mayor of London Have in Common  2/27/06

Lobbying Reform as “Crackdown”  2/14/06

“How to Reform Lobbying” or a Good Day for The Aspen Institute  2/9/06

Obama-McCain and the Goal of “Bipartisan” Lobbying Reform  2/8/06

“A Radical Plan” To End Corrupt Politics  2/7/06

At Weekend: Of Lobbyists (Bad) and “Legislative Watchdogs” (Good)  1/27/06

The WRTL "Loophole"  1/24/06

Lobbying Reform and the Campaign Loophole  1/18/06

Lobbying Reform and Corporate Airplanes  1/17/06

BCRA Lobbying Reform and the Problem of Incumbent Protection  1/12/06

Talking Calls on Lobbying Reform  1/11/06

Campaigns and the Payment of Travel  1/11/06

The Uses of Disclosure in Lobbying Reform  1/5/06