Post-Abramoff: Now Is the Time to Review Ethics, Lobbying and Campaign Finance Laws
Earlier this month, lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to a variety of federal crimes, many of which included issues related to the Congressional gift rules, the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) and campaign finance.
In the wake of calls for lobbying and ethics reform on Capitol Hill, Jan Witold Baran, chair of the Election Law and Governmental Ethics Practice Group, penned his thoughts in a recent Outlook section of The Washington Post. Baran's article, "Can I Lobby You? Don't Let One Bad Abramoff Spoil the Whole Bunch," examines the beneficial side of lobbying and highlights the thousands of lobbyists in Washington who render a service that is both critical to a democratic society and enshrined in the Constitution. Baran has also been quoted in numerous publications on the recent lobbying scandal, including The Washington Post and The Washington Times.
In order to aid our readers in their quests to avoid even the appearance of impropriety in their lobbying and political activities, the editors ofElection Law News have created the following index of past newsletter articles about ethics rules, the LDA, pertinent Internal Revenue Service rules and the Federal Election Commission's campaign finance regulations. In future issues of Election Law News, we will address additional topics.
- Special Report: Gift and Travel Rules for Lobbyists (May 2005)
- Tax Corner: The Tax Code and the Lobbying Disclosure Act (March 2005)
- Practical Tip: Post-Government Employment (July 2004)
- Practical Tip: Corporate Communications Guide (May 2004)
- Tax Corner: Lobbying Restrictions for 501(c)(3) Organizations (May 2004)
- New FEC Airplane Reimbursement Rules Effective January 2004 (January 2004 )
- The Corporation as Political Host: When Corporations Sponsor Appearances by Federal Candidates (July 2003)