ADVOCATING REAL LOBBYING REFORM—Georgia PIRG staff work at the U.S. Capitol advocating lobbying reform and the creation of an independent ethics commission for Congress.

With Congress under the gun to strengthen the rules governing lobbying in the wake of the Jack Abramoff scandal, a coalition, including Georgia PIRG, has laid out a roadmap on how to do it.

The competing proposals moving through Congress each take some important steps, but none include the comprehensive reforms required to change the way in which business is done in Congress.

“With Congressional elections around the corner, senators and representatives are eager to take some action, but it ought to be strong reform that fixes the problem, not the symptoms,” said Gary Kalman, Georgia PIRG’s federal democracy advocate.

Strong Action Needed
Powerful special interests can accrue undue influence in politics by giving gifts to legislators including expensive trips.

In some instances the relationship between public official and private interest gets blurred, as officials become lobbyists, and former lobbyists enter office. This produces a revolving door effect that allows private interests to influence public policy.

Georgia PIRG helped pass ethics reform in the state Legislature in 2005 that created revolving door provisions for state legislators and lobbyists.

Georgia PIRG and its allies called on Congress to enforce ethics rules through an independent office or ethics commission, slow the revolving door, prohibit private interests from financing trips, ban gifts to members of Congress, and strengthen financial disclosure reports.

At the time of print, Congress was advancing only watered-down reforms.