Many of the donations are questionable.
In 2008, Boeing donated $9.2 million, including support for the Johnstown Symphony concert honoring democrat John Murtha of Pennsylvania, who happens to be Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Boeing won more than $24 billion in federal contracts in FY 2007. The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is reviewing Murtha's ties to the lobbying firm PMA which made the contribution and which secures defense earmarks from lawmakers (Roth & Knott, 2009, para. 2, 5-6).
Enforcement
Though many in Congress will point to the 2009 prosecution and conviction of lobbyist Jack Abramoff for fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy to bribe public officials as an example of the strict enforcement of lobbying regulations, many experts disagree.
Jim Thurber, head of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, along with other experts attending a symposium discussing lobbying transparency, said this: "Lack of enforcement muddles full disclosure, as well as other lobbying rules. The reforms the Abramoff scandal spurred were largely unnecessary -- what Abramoff did was already illegal. Instead of more rules, the government needed to enforce those laws that already existed" (Matthias, 2009, para. 7).
An example of the ambivalence of both congressional and executive branch towards the multi-billion dollar D.C. lobbying efforts is President Obama's Executive Order 13490, issued his first day in office. He had his administration officials sign a pledge to refuse lobbyists'
gifts and refuse to join a lobbying firm after leaving office. Obama also, in a 60-day trial period banned any contact with lobbyists regarding stimulus funds -- but has since changed that regulation (Matthias, 2009).
What happens, though, when lobbyists are cut off from their contacts is that they tend to "deregister" as lobbyists. and, of course, the result of that is it makes for less transparency and enforcement of the lobbying industry.
Congress must police itself. That is the response from many experts who have studied lobbying and its relationship with our elected officials. If they do not, there is really no hope of ever gaining a trustworthy relationship with the public, whose perception of lobbyists is just above that of used car salesmen. Bipartisan action is necessary, and the legislation that is passed must be enforced. Legislation that is not enforced, is worthless ink on paper.
If Congress does not step up, then it becomes a criminal problem for the Department of Justice. Thus we now have an ugly situation where the Executive Branch is policing the Legislative Branch of the U.S. government.
Trevor Potter, president and general counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, and a former commissioner and chair of the Federal Election Commission (FEC):
"As a former Chair of the Federal Election Commission, I can tell you that reform will only succeed in changing norms if it is enforced. Much of the current scandal involves activity that is already illegal or in violation of House/Senate rules - what has been lacking is the will and the process to enforce the current rules... Any new rules will likewise fail without an independent Congressional enforcement office an Office of Public Integrity, or an equivalent office in the Congress, independent of whichever party happens to be in the leadership at any moment" (Potter, 2006, para. 6).
And what has come of HLOGA? Through various new regulations and disclosure laws, it was supposed to reveal the ties between lobbyists and Congress through a whole new level of transparency.
In early 2009 Lobbyists.info surveyed those impacted by HLOGA to see what the actual results had been. Overall, reports Craig Holman of Public Citizen, "besides increasing the use of recordkeeping systems and training, the law did not have much impact on a lobbyist's job."
A majority of the lobbyists said that they were still participating at about the same rate in all of the usual lobbyist activities. However, they did report that hosting events with the attendance of a congressperson or administration official was a significantly rarer occurrence.
Almost 60% reported either the same amount or an increase in political contributions, perhaps due to the new tracking, bundling and reporting requirements which set a specific limit so that those who had not met the minimum before could actually contribute more.
Overall, according to the survey, most lobbyists have become accustomed to the changes imposed by the legislation and are working to comply with it (Lobbyists.info, 2009).
Changes Needed
According to a compilation of expert opinion, new laws and regulations are not needed. With the latest additions over the past few years, most of the rules are in place. The real solution, as we have discussed before, is enforcing what exists. Here are a few recommendations gathered from various of our sources:
Establish a separate office in Congress to monitor...
Federal Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentences and Their Impact on Recidivism There is much controversy regarding mandatory sentencing and its impact on the American society throughout recent times. In many ways, prisons are used as a means to control crime, to protect society from it, with criminals being deterred from continuing to commit illegalities as a direct result of the time they spend behind bars. Mandatory minimums were generally introduced with the
Lobbying for Federal Policy Change EA Electronic Arts is a leading global interactive entertainment software company (Company Information, 2012). EA Electronic Arts develops, publishes, and distributes gaming software for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones, tablets, and social networks. They have a voluntary rating system to enable appropriate decision making for consumers and online privacy practices. Federal fiscal policies affect EA Electronic Arts in respects to being a multinational organization responsible for
" (Tripathi, Ansolabehere, and Snyder, 2002) Additionally, groups that place emphasis on lobbying tend to may more attention to the position of power that members hold inside Congress and pay less attention to the electoral circumstances of member than do other groups and as well groups that place emphasis on lobbying "also appear to be more bipartisan and less ideological than other groups, giving more equally to both parties and more
American Anti-Corruption Act: The Tipping Point for American Citizens The American Anti-Corruption Act: A tipping point for American citizens In the wake of increasing concerns about the undue influence of money and special interest groups in American politics, the anti-corruption advocacy group Represent.Us created a grassroots campaign in support of a law called the American Anti-Corruption Act. The Act is "a nine-point plan to crack down on lobbyists, strengthen the flimsy law intended
S. have a culture of poverty? Understanding poverty in the U.S. requires looking beyond the current generation. Viewed more broadly, poverty today is directly linked to the opportunities enjoyed and challenges faced by previous generations (Ehrenreich, 2009). Minority communities, (especially those composed of individuals whose ancestors were enslaved and discriminated against) still suffer economically from the corresponding lower wealth of their parents and grandparents (Ehrenreich, 2009). Those raised in poverty have
Abbott Labs Lobbying Recommendations Lobbying Recommendations for Abbott Labs Fiscal policies by the Federal and State governments have a direct effect on the ability of Abbott Labs to remain in a growth position. As a member of the drug and medical device manufacturing market segment, health care & medical policies have the greatest impact on business. Abbott Labs includes lobbying funds as part of its annual budget. This is a prudent measure
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now