Political Quotes

“this Member intends to support the Lobbying Disclosure Act as it is a small step forward in providing increased disclosure of lobbying efforts. This measure represents the latest effort in a longstanding, if intermittent, attempt by Congress to rewrite Federal lobby disclosure laws. This Member certainly supports the provisions providing for the registration of all those who lobby Members of Congress, congressional staff, and executive branch officials. The measure also requires lobbyists to file semiannual reports on what legislation, regulatory actions, grants, and projects they are lobbying. These semiannual reports must also disclose the lobbyists' income from clients or the total expenses their organization has incurred for lobbying, including grassroots activity. However, this Member must also express reservations regarding the provisions which ban lobbyists from providing meals, entertainment, travel, or gifts to Members of Congress or their staffs. This reservation is expressed because this seems a disingenuous attempt at such a ban because the measure is structured to allow a lobbyist's employer, or the organization or company that retains a lobbyist, to pay for such items and activities. The so-called ban is simply an illusion because as a practical matter, organizations and clients--not their lobbyists--pay for these items and activities.”