Rick Hasen at Election Law Blog gets his hands on a Disclose Act CRS Report – and passes the fun along to us!
A note on lobbying in India: “top banker and government’s key adviser Deepak Parekh today said lobbying is not bad and it really does not matter whether or not it is legalised in India.” He also identifies himself not as a lobbyist but as a “(the government’s) troubleshooter.” (From the Economic Times).
Leadership PACs tend to pay the big bucks for luxury items. Maybe those lobbyists diligently reporting leadership PAC contributions on their LD-203s will reconsider their expenditures?
This was our personal favorite story of the week: courtesy of Eric Brown at Political Activity Law (and subsequently picked up here, here, and here): Locked, Loaded, and Ready to Lobby in Texas. I have just three words: only in Texas.
Sneak peek of Monday’s GR Alert:
Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) has introduced a resolution that would curb the influence of the Office of Congressional Ethics. The independent OCE has authority to investigate matters concerning Congressional ethics and to pass those matters on to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, the entity with authority to penalize inappropriate or unethical behavior.
Citing concerns that the OCE was overstepping its bounds by acting as “the accuser, judge, and jury,” and causing unnecessary damage to reputations, Rep. Fudge would prohibit “unwarranted and premature publication” of the OCE’s reports, and would revise the process to include stricter oversight of OCE jurisdiction and reports by the House’s official ethics committee.
Rep. Fudge is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and all 19 of the bill’s co-sponsors are also members of the liberal House interest group; several of the co-sponsors have faced investigations by the OCE that have gone public. One of the CBC’s members, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), was admonished for taking trips sponsored by prohibited companies; the investigation is ongoing.
Roll Call reports on the resolution here, and Rep. Fudge’s press release is here.
Tags: DISCLOSE Act, guns, India, Leadership PACs, Marcia Fudge
