Retail giants gear up for Black Friday — and political giving

A Black Friday sale (TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images) Ready, shoppers? Your long-awaited holidays are afoot — so are the countless deals up for grabs.

Source: Retail giants gear up for Black Friday — and political giving

Volunteers Are Not Lobbyists, Rules Eighth Circuit

Alexandria, VA – Nearly five years ago the Missouri Ethics Commission (“MEC”) ordered Ron Calzone, an unpaid grassroots activist, to pay a $1,000 fine and prohibited him from discussing policy with lawmakers until he registered and filed reports as though he was a professional “lobbyist.

Source: Volunteers Are Not Lobbyists, Rules Eighth Circuit

Elizabeth Warren’s lobby tax may not hold up to legal scrutiny

Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s proposals to curb what she calls “excessive” lobbying would face near-certain legal challenges, experts say. (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call file photo) If Sen.

Source: Elizabeth Warren’s lobby tax may not hold up to legal scrutiny

Charitable Giving by Corporations Is Also About Getting, a New Study Finds

Corporate philanthropy, business leaders would have us believe, is the ringing voice of a company’s social conscience.

Source: Charitable Giving by Corporations Is Also About Getting, a New Study Finds

Foreign lobbying law open to exploitation

Washington’s foreign agents are able to operate in a legal gray zone thanks to ambiguities in the law and less-than-stringent enforcement. Foreign lobbying has come to the forefront due to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russia and the Trump campaign.

Source: Foreign lobbying law open to exploitation

Sweeping Changes Proposed for Foreign Lobbying Law

A bill introduced by Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley in response to indictments in the special counsel’s Russia probe would have far-reaching consequences for U.S. representatives of foreign governments, foreign companies and other international interests.

Source: Sweeping Changes Proposed for Foreign Lobbying Law

Washington's Legions Of Lobbyists See Danger In Special Counsel's Indictment Of Manafort

WASHINGTON – The threat of serving hard time for failing to disclose foreign lobbying work is rattling Washington’s multi-billion dollar influence industry following Monday’s 12-count indictment against Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates.

Source: Washington's Legions Of Lobbyists See Danger In Special Counsel's Indictment Of Manafort

Lobbyists Use of Capitol Meeting Space Raises Questions

Former Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla., arranged to use a Capitol meeting room on behalf of a lobbying client. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo) A recent panel discussion about alleged governmental corruption in Ukraine, organized by lobbyist and former Rep.

Source: Lobbyists Use of Capitol Meeting Space Raises Questions

How Two Sentences in Tax Plan May Help Unleash $1 Billion in Lobbying

WASHINGTON — The sweeping tax rewrite unveiled by President Trump and Republican lawmakers this past week leaves many of the details to Congress, but two sentences in the nine-page framework have Washington lobbyists salivating over a payday that some industry experts predict could top $1 billion.

Source: How Two Sentences in Tax Plan May Help Unleash $1 Billion in Lobbying

Why is Google spending record sums on lobbying Washington?

With a real threat of antitrust and privacy regulation on the horizon, Google is on track to become this year’s top corporate lobbying spender in the US 07.00 EDT Last modified on Sunday 30 July 2017 17.

Source: Why is Google spending record sums on lobbying Washington?

Anaheim City Council passes county’s toughest restrictions on lobbying

Anaheim elected officials and workers will be barred from lobbying the city for two years after they leave their jobs under a new “sunshine ordinance,” the strictest restriction on government lobbying in Orange County.

Source: Anaheim City Council passes county’s toughest restrictions on lobbying

Shadow Lobbyists on the Rise?

Trump promised to drain the swamp, and by the numbers, he has done just that. 448 individuals who lobbied in the third quarter of 2016 did not report activity during the next two quarters.

Source: Shadow Lobbyists on the Rise?

Book Explores How Lobbyists Fill a Void in Congress

In their new book “Revolving Door Lobbying,” Timothy LaPira and Herschel Thomas look at the connections between federal government service and lucrative lobbyist careers. (Courtesy University Press of Kansas)

Source: Book Explores How Lobbyists Fill a Void in Congress

Trump White House lacks waivers for longtime lobbyists

At least a half-dozen former lobbyists are working in President Donald Trump’s White House even though they haven’t received waivers from the administration’s ethics rules, raising questions about how much the rules do to prevent conflicts of interest.

Source: Trump White House lacks waivers for longtime lobbyists

U.S. senators seek lifetime ban on ex-Congress members lobbying

WASHINGTON A bipartisan bill introduced on Thursday would prohibit members of the U.S. Congress from ever working as lobbyists after they leave the Senate or House of Representatives.

Source: U.S. senators seek lifetime ban on ex-Congress members lobbying

Revised LDA Guidance

Following the annual review of Lobbying Disclosure Act Guidance, Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives issued revised guidance on January 31st, 2017.  Outlined below are the new updates included in the revised guidance. The full revised guidance can be found here.

Source: Revised LDA Guidance

DNC to return lobbyists donations after OpenSecrets.org blog exposes them

Washington Examiner:

"Donations from at least 10 registered lobbyists during the 2010 election cycle are being returned by the Democratic National Committee after questions were raised about them by the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP).

'We're in the process of reimbursing the money,' DNC spokeswoman Caroline Ciccone told OpenSecrets Blog. 'For whatever reason, be it human error, they gave donations that were out of line with our policy.' OpenSecrets blog is CRP's blog.

President Obama promised in June 2008 to much fanfare that neither he nor the DNC would accept money from either political action committees (PACs) or registered lobbyists if he was elected."

iPhone App Will Help You Lobby

Roll Call Lobbying:

"The rock-musician-turned-activist Bono wants you to know: You, too, can be a lobbyist, and all you need is an iPhone.
ONE, the anti-poverty group co-founded by Bono, launched an app Wednesday that lets iPhone users call their lawmakers at the touch of a button. It even provides a script of what to say.
The project is one of several efforts by advocacy groups to use mobile technology to harness the power of their grass roots and pressure Members of Congress."

Related articles

• Behind Bono's Anti-poverty App (adweek.com)

Lobby Dollars Dip for First Time in Years

Roll Call:

"For the first time in almost a decade, total lobbying revenues did not increase last year, with the recession pinching K Street budgets and major legislative initiatives such as health care reform winding down.
Some of this change may be attributed to a quirk in accounting practices under which lobbying expenditures are reported, but it is also indicative of several major players scaling back their Washington influence spending last year."

Egypt and the Arab World's 2010 Lobbying Contacts

Sunlight Foundation:

"The Egyptian government's lobbyists made the third most reported lobbying contacts of all Arab nations during the previous reported period in 2010. Surpassing Egypt's 366 lobbying contacts were the United Arab Emirates (407 contacts) and Morocco (653 contacts).

Only three other governments of Arab nations or territories reported any lobbying contacts over the same period in 2010. These include Algeria (50 contacts), Saudi Arabia (20 contacts), and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank (19 contacts)."