Meehan, Emanuel To Introduce Comprehensive Lobbying Reform Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representatives Marty Meehan (D-MA) and Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) today introduced the Special Interest Lobbying and Ethics Accountability Act of 2005.  The legislation requires members of Congress to fully disclose congressional travel, makes it easier for citizens to learn about who is lobbying members of Congress, slows the "revolving door" between government and lobbying, and strengthens the enforcement and oversight of ethics and lobbying rules already in place.

The bill will have more than 60 original cosponsors.

"In recent months, the American people have learned more about the kind of unseemly influence peddling that occurs all too often in Washington," said Meehan.  "Today, there is an ethical cloud hanging over Congress.  A decade after the last reforms, it is time to take steps to restore the American people's confidence in Congress as an institution."

“K Street lobbyists have become the full-service 'back office' of Congress," said Emanuel.  "Whether facilitating cozy relationships, funding lavish trips or writing major legislation, lobbyists are omnipresent.  It's time for us to reform the relationships between lobbyists and members of Congress, so that we can close the auction house and restore the People's House.”

According to the Center for Public Integrity, money spent on lobbying has doubled in the past six years -- from $1.6 billion in 1998 to more than $3 billion last year-- nearly twice the amount spent on campaigns for Congress. Because our laws have not changed with the times, there is virtually no oversight into this multi-billion dollar practice. In fact, compliance with existing lobbying disclosure laws is in disarray.  Over the past 6 years, nearly 300 individuals, companies or associations lobbied without first registering.  210 out of the 250 top lobbying firms failed to file one or more required document.  Almost 20% of documents were filed late.

With ethical scandals swirling around Capitol Hill, Congress has lost the confidence of a majority of Americans.  According to a CBS News poll, only 35% of the American people approve of the way Congress is doing its job, the lowest in a decade.  The Special Interest Lobbying and Ethics Accountability Act is a substantive first step toward restoring the confidence of the American people in Congress.

Summary of the Special Interest Lobbying and Ethics Accountability Act:

1. Increasing Lobby Disclosure: The bill requires lobbyists to disclose their activities quarterly through electronic filings.  It allows citizens access to a web-based database for lobbying information, allowing them to search for who is lobbying and being lobbied on a given bill or issue.  It exposes the identities of “stealth” lobbying coalitions and requires paid lobbyists to disclose money spent on “grassroots” lobbying activities.
   
2. Slowing the Revolving Door:  This legislation extends the current one-year “waiting period” for members, senior staff, and senior executive personnel lobbying Congress to two years. It requires members of Congress who are negotiating future employment to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.  It bans outright the practice of members of Congress threatening trade groups with official action for hiring or not hiring members of a certain political party.
   
3. Curbing Excesses in Congressional Travel:  The Meehan/Emanuel legislation requires members of Congress to disclose detailed itineraries of trips and prohibits “front groups” from hiding sponsors of travel. This bill prohibits registered lobbyists from organizing junkets and requires congressional travel to conform to new guidelines reflecting existing “per diem” limits on official government travel.
   
4. Toughening Enforcement and Oversight: This legislation requires the Government Accountability Office to investigate and report on the effectiveness of the lobbying oversight and enforcement. It doubles the civil penalty for failing to file lobbying reports and mandates congressional hearings on lobbying disclosure. Finally, the legislation forms a bipartisan task force to review congressional ethics oversight and enforcement.