Lobbyists, lobbying disclosure, and lobbying reform were the topics of an Advisory Committee on Transparency panel discussion this past Monday on Capitol Hill. Our panel of experts discussed the current state of lobbying disclosure, evaluated the need for lobbying reform, and considered proposals for real-time lobbying disclosure.

I was fortunate to be joined on the panel by Washington Post reporter Dan Eggen, Center for Responsive Politics executive director Sheila Krumholz, Sunlight government affairs consultant Lisa Rosenberg, American League of Lobbyists past-president Paul Miller, and American Bar Association director of government affairs Tom Susman.

We had a lively and informative discussion that was recorded by C-Span for your viewing pleasure.

Here are links to the recommendations for reform drafted by Sunlight, ABA’s Lobbying Task Force, and the American League of Lobbyists. More resources are available after the jump.

• The Sunlight Foundation’s draft “Real Time Online Lobbying Transparency Act” and short description
• The American Bar Association Lobbying Task Force’s draft report “Lobbying Law in the Spotlight: Challenges and Proposed Improvements”
• American League of Lobbyists’ “Statement of Principles on the 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act”

Third-Party Websites

• OpenSecrets.org. A non-partisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. Elections and public policy.
• TransparencyData.com. A central source for federal lobbying disclosure, federal grants and contracts, earmarks and federal and state campaign contributions.
• FollowTheMoney.org. The nation’s most complete resource for information on money in state politics.

Government Websites

• Lobbying Disclosure Act Databases, Senate Office of Public Records.
• Post Employment Lobbying Restrictions, Secretary of the Senate.
• Post Employment Database, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives.
• Office of Congressional Ethics, House of Representatives.
• House Committee on Ethics, Senate Select Committee on Ethics, Office of Government Ethics.
• House rules; Senate rules; Federal Election Commission.

Reports and Articles

• “The Lobbying Manual: A Complete Guide to Federal Lobbying Law and Practice” (4th Ed. 2009).
• “Lobbying Disclosure Act Guidance,” Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives.
• “Is it Whom You Know or What You Know? An Empirical Assessment of the Lobbying Process,” Bertrand, Bombardini and Trebbi.
• “’Revolving Door Lobbyists,” Centre for Economic Performance.
• “The Deregistration Dilemma: Are Lobbyists Quitting the Business as Federal Disclosure Rules Tighten?” Center for Responsive Politics.

Legislation

• Legislation introduced in the 111th Congress.

Here is Tuesday’s look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events.

News Roundup:

• New data compiled by the Sunshine in Government Initiative shows that federal agencies have used FOIA exemption b(3) to apply over 240 other laws to justify withholding information during the last decade. Pro Publica
• While federal agencies received more FOIA requests in 2010 than in 2009, they are responding to fewer of these requests, and it is taking them longer to respond. Center for Public Integrity
• According to the Executive Director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, agencies prefer to err on the side of nondisclosure because the penalties for releasing private information are much more severe than those for withholding documents. Federal Times
• Both Democrats and Republicans are beginning to voice concerns that the earmark ban could be enforced too broadly due to the lack of a clear definition for what constitutes an earmark. Roll Call $
• While the Obama Administration open government initiatives have increased the number of websites offering public access to government data, much of the data is incorrect. Next Gov
• The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform held a hearing Friday to examine the effectiveness of the Obama Administration’s open government initiatives. Project on Government Oversight
• Republicans are attempting to limit the impact of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform bill through introducing bills that would repeal what Republicans argue are some of the most partisan and restrictive provisions. The Hill
• SEC Rule 206(4)-5 goes into effect today, making it illegal for advisors of hedge funds, private equity funds, and other investments to be compensated for providing investment advisory services to a government entity within two years after a contribution to an official of that government entity is made by the investment adviser, their associates, or their PAC. Lobby Comply Blog
• The Obama Administration took the first step in moving towards its promised government reorganization with a memorandum directing the Office of Management and Budget to develop a plan to reorganize federal trade and export agencies within the next three months. Government Executive
• A new IBM tool, City Forward, allows users to visually compare individual cities according to various performance statistics. Government Technology
• Republicans appear to be disassociating from Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) due to concerns regarding allegations that Rivera misused campaign funds prior to beginning his Congressional career. Politico
• Using a Microsoft Excel reporting tool, GL Wand, Detroit was able to submit its annual financial report ahead of the deadline this year for the first time in over a decade. Government Technology

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 3/15:

Senate

• Judiciary. Hearings to examine the Freedom of Information Act, focusing on ensuring transparency and accountability in the digital age. 10:15am. Dirksen Building 226.

House

• None.

Relevant bills introduced:

• H.R. 1056. A bill to amend title 35, United States Code, with respect to false marking; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
• H.R. 1059. A bill to protect the safety of judges by extending the authority of the Judicial Conference to redact sensitive information contained in their financial disclosure reports, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
• H.R. 1061. A bill to require Federal agencies to show receipts and expenditures every two weeks on agency websites; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
• H.R. 1062. A bill to amend the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to repeal certain additional disclosure requirements, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Financial Services.
• H.R. 1067. A bill to rescind earmarks for certain surface transportation projects, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Transparency events scheduled for 3/15:

• None.

Here is a look at what happened yesterday on the Sunlight network.

• Paul Blumenthal began the day with several transparency related headlines including highlighting a fundraiser held by the BGR Group to toast Wisconsin Republicans, news that Google has launched a lobbying campaign for green energy, and more. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Paul Blumenthal detailed the lobbying behind the for-profit college industry, noting that the industry is holding its annual “Hill Day” this week. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Paul Blumenthal reported that the Monitor Group, a consulting group hired by Libya’s Moammar Gaddafi, is looking into a possible Foreign Agent Registration Act violation when they neglected to register as a foreign agent. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Jason Williams, guest blogger from Utah, blogged on a law passed in the Utah State Senate to shield lawmakers’ voicemail, text messages, instant messages and possibly email from the public record. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Scott Stadum highlighted his Tool for Transparency, Foursquare, and noted on the many ways to leave savvy “Tips” at political hot-spots. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Tom Lee announced that Sunlight’s Executive Director Ellen Miller will be testifying before Congress on Sunlight’s Clearspending project. (Sunlight Labs Blog)
• Take a look at the previous day’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency related events. (Transparency Caucus Blog)

Here is a look at what happened recently on the Sunlight network.

• Paul Blumenthal began the day with several transparency related headlines including reports that Congressman Darrell Issa’s acceptance of travel provided to members by outside parties did not violate House ethics rules due to the fact that Issa was acting as a private board member on personal business, questioning the earmark ban, and more. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Paul Blumenthal looked at the rise and fall of top lobbying firms in the 2000s with an interactive map. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• John Wonderlich debriefed on his visit to Slashroots, a conference held at the University of the West Indies Mona School of Business. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Paul Blumenthal looked media attention to The Monitor Group/Libya controversy regarding foreign lobbying. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Zubedah Nanfuka included the weekly roundup of bloggers from across the country, this time focusing on bloggers from New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, and New Hampshire. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Ellen Miller announced the new blog “Exemption 10”, a project of American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop, focusing on Freedom of Information Act requests and open government. (Sunlight Foundation Blog)
• Nancy Watzman reported on a meeting between Treasury Secretary Timoty Geithner and Penny Pritzker, who served as President Obama’s finance chair during his 2008 campaign, on Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs). (Sunlight Reporting Group)
• Luigi Montanez rounded up the podcasts mentioning Sunlight, highlighting he and Jeremy Carbaugh’s appearance on the TWiT Network’s FLOSS Weekly. (Sunlight Labs Blog)
• Jeremy Carbaugh announced the release of django-mediasync 2.1 in anticipation of Django’s upcoming 1.3 release. (Sunlight Labs Blog)
• Take a look at the previous day’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency related events. (Transparency Caucus Blog)