Senate Set to Lift Legal Services Corporation Restrictions
Jul 29, 2009
On June 25, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill that increases funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) in FY 2010 and drops some speech restrictions on legal aid grant recipients that have been in place since 1996. The Senate version of the bill increases legal aid services by $10 million over FY 2009 levels, but it contains $35 million less than the Obama administration's request. The House version of the bill has $40 million more than the Senate version, but it continues a number of speech restrictions dropped by the Senate bill.
read in fullQuestions about LDA Guidance Remain
Jun 16, 2009
New congressional guidance on lobbyist reporting and registration termination under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) has sparked concerns over accuracy and potential conflicts with current law. The guidance addresses filing requirements for lobbyists, as well as criteria for deregistering as a lobbyist, particularly important given President Barack Obama's hiring rules that place restrictions on those who have lobbied in the past two years. The deregistration rules may create enormous loopholes that could result in non-reporting of lobbyist activities.
read in fullGrassley Seeks Disclosure of Ethics Waivers
Jun 16, 2009
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) is determined to make public every ethics waiver issued to former lobbyists who now work in the Obama administration. A Jan. 21 executive order put in place restrictions on lobbyists who work for the federal government. The order included a waiver process, allowing exemptions if the "application of the restriction is inconsistent with the purposes of the restriction" or if it is in the "public interest." Grassley is prodding the administration to disclose all waivers granted under the policy. Grassley has also requested information on every letter of recusal that waived employees have on file.
read in fullWhite House Announces Changes to Recovery Act Lobbying Memo
Jun 2, 2009
In a blog post on May 29, Norm Eisen, Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform, announced changes to President Obama's March 20 memorandum that placed restrictions on communications between federally registered lobbyists and executive branch employees regarding the use of Recovery Act funds. After completing a 60-day review, the administration modified the oral communications ban to include not just federally registered lobbyists, but everyone who contacts government officials. However, that ban appears to only apply to competitive grant applications that have been submitted for review.
read in fullReport, Comments Reveal Need for Regulatory Clarity at IRS
Jun 2, 2009
Every year, the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) request public comments on recommendations for their Guidance Priority List to identify tax issues that should be addressed through regulations, revenue rulings, revenue procedures, notices, and other guidance for the year. OMB Watch recently submitted comments that urge the IRS to prioritize the creation of a bright-line definition of prohibited political activity for tax-exempt charities and religious organizations. Such clarity is particularly important given recent findings that IRS agents have not properly differentiated between permissible advocacy and activities that are considered partisan election intervention.
read in fullAgencies Reporting Communications with Federally Registered Lobbyists
May 27, 2009 by Amanda Adams*
Updated April 20, 2010
President Barack Obama's March 20 memo restricts communications between federally registered lobbyists and executive branch employees on use of Recovery Act funds and requires disclosure of written communications. A closer examination of the summaries of lobbyist contacts with federal agencies shows that there are few online postings of those communications; some agencies have not posted any contacts at all.
read in fullDisclosure of Recovery Act Lobbying Far from Comprehensive
May 19, 2009
President Barack Obama's March 20 memo restricts communications between federally registered lobbyists and executive branch employees on use of Recovery Act funds and requires disclosure of written communications. A closer examination of the summaries of lobbyist contacts with federal agencies shows that there are few online postings of those communications; some agencies have not posted any contacts at all. According to a review of the 29 agencies receiving stimulus money, only 110 contacts had been disclosed as of May 18.
read in fullLobbying Restrictions Generate More Criticism
May 6, 2009
It appears that the Obama administration’s restrictions on lobbying are drawing criticism even as the administration defends the policies. The controversy surrounds two policy documents: one addresses restrictions on hiring lobbyists and others as political appointees, and the other focuses on communications by lobbyists about use of Recovery Act funds.
read in fullRecent FEC Rulings May Indicate Growing Leniency in Enforcement
May 6, 2009
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) recently issued a series of rulings that may represent a move toward a more lenient interpretation of election laws. The commissioners have repeatedly split along party lines over whether to pursue possible campaign finance violations involving organizations charged with acting as political committees.
read in fullLobbying for Recovery Act Funding Restricted
Apr 21, 2009
On April 7, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued interim guidance on how to comply with President Barack Obama’s March 20 memorandum that restricts contact between registered lobbyists and executive branch officials regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
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