Last Updated on: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 2:58 PM Book Updates
The Lobbying Manual: A Complete Guide to Federal Law Governing Lawyers and Lobbyists, Third Edition
Introduction
Preparation of the 4th Edition of the Lobbying Manual is now underway and is expected to be completed in time for publication during 2009. The revision will update the book to reflect changes to the Lobbying Disclosure Act effected by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA), other statutory developments, congressional and executive branch rule changes relevant to the various chapters, and administrative developments applicable to lobbying regulation. More importantly, it will contain new chapters dealing with many aspects of the practice of lobbying.
This page contains an interim update to those chapters of the 3rd Edition dealing with 1) the Lobbying Disclosure Act and 2) congressional gift and travel rules, which are now of particular relevance to LDA registrants and lobbyists in light of the certification that will be required in the newly mandated semiannual reports due in July 2007 that must report various lobbyist contributions and expenditures.
This webpage contains both downloadable documents of relevance to LDA registrants (including the legislative history of the HLOGA) and links to important webpages that should be consulted.
With regard to the legislative history of HLOGA, the Senate bill (S.1) was the version ultimately adopted by Congress. No committee report was ever issued on that bill, only a statement of the Senate Managers (a downloadable document below) which was inserted into the legislative record immediately prior to the Senate’s passage of S. 1, as amended, on August 2, 2007. The House lobbying reform bills that were passed during the 110th Congress were similar in some respects to S.1, but dissimilar in many ways. Nevertheless, as background, the two House committee reports issued on the bills that were passed in the House (but not the Senate) are included here as downloadable documents.
Recent Developments
On February 6, 2008, the National Association of Manufacturers filed suit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia to invalidate on First Amendment grounds the provisions of the LDA requiring disclosure of contributors to lobbying campaigns. On April 11, 2008, the court denied NAM's motion for judgment on the pleadings, rejecting its contentions regarding the vaguenes of the coalition disclosure provisions. Then on April 18, 2008, it denied NAM's motion for injunctive relief pending appeal. After Justice Roberts refused NAM's request for emergency relief, NAM decided to comply with the law while it continues to litigate its constitutionality.
Supplements and Additional Resources
Documents
- Interim Supplement to Chapters 3, 4 and 5 of the Lobbying Manual 3rd Edition (Lobbying Disclosure Act)(revised to March 23, 2008).
- Interim Supplement to Chapter 22 of the Lobbying Manual 3rd Edition (congressional gift and travel rules) (Rebecca H. Gordon, Perkins Coie, Washington, D.C.)
- Guide to the Lobbying Disclosure Act (issued by the Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House of Representatives)(revised to Jan. 25, 2008).
- The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007
- The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the Federal Election Campaign Act, as amended by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007
- The Legislative History of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007:
- National Association of Manufacturers v. Taylor (D.C. D.C., filed Feb. 6. 2008)
Web Links
- Link to the webpage of the Office of Public Records of the US Senate (lobbying disclosure)
- Link to the webpage of the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives (lobbying disclosure)
- Link to the webpage of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics (which contains a summary of the new gift and travel rules, among other things)
- Link to the webpage of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (which contains a summary of the new rules)
- Link to the webpage of the Federal Election Commission and, specifically, to the new bundling regulations
