For several years, we have been warning clients and others that it was only a matter of time before we would see criminal referrals against lobbyists who fail to register under the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (“LDA”). Until now, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has focused exclusively — and rarely —
lobbyist
Is Lobbying Reform Looking More Likely?
By Brian D. Smith & Andrew Garrahan on
Posted in Compliance Issues, Congressional Action
In the past week, the Association of Government Relations Professionals (formerly the American League of Lobbyists) announced its endorsement of tougher disclosure requirements for lobbyists, and Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced the Close the Revolving Door Act of 2014, which would permanently ban former Members of Congress from becoming lobbyists. …
2013 GAO Lobbying Disclosure Report Shows Challenges in Compliance, Recordkeeping
Posted in Compliance Issues, Congressional Action
Last week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its 2013 report on compliance with the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA), summarizing the audits of 104 lobbyist reports and information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
We see several trends in this year’s report. First, registrants are reporting more difficulties complying…