Question

How do we regulate lobbying activity? What are the goals of these regulations? do you think these regulations achieve the goals? why? if you could alter the way we regulate lobbying what would you change?

Answer 1

We have multiple ways of regulating interest groups and lobbying including the 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act which defines who is allowed to lobby and who is not and also requires lobbyists to register with the federal government (page 369). Another piece of legislation that is meant to regulate lobbying per our text is the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. There are also laws that limit the amount of money that can be spent on lobbying, laws prohibiting giving of gifts to lawmakers, and also regulations on how soon someone can become a lobbyist after leaving public office.

The goals of these regulations are to make the actions of lobbyist transparent, to put limits on the amount of pressure they can exert on lawmakers, and to make sure that lawmakers are not making laws in response to kickbacks versus acting on behalf of their constituents.

I feel the biggest way to help regulate some of these activities is by insisting on transparency in the lobbyist. I think it should be clear who is funding the activity, how much they are spending, who they are interacting with, and what their agenda is.