Tougher Rules Change Game for Lobbyists ... requiring them to certify the good behavior of their employees

Tougher Rules Change Game for Lobbyists | By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK | Published: August 7, 2007

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 — H. Stewart Van Scoyoc, founder of one of the biggest lobbying firms in Washington, spent an anxious morning with his lawyer last week assessing the far-reaching ethics and lobbying rules Congress had passed the day before.

The first worry was what lobbyists are calling the new “temptation rules.” Not only do they bar lawmakers and aides from accepting any gifts, meals or trips from lobbyists, they also impose penalties up to $200,000 and five years in prison on any lobbyist who provides such freebies.
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By requiring them to certify the good behavior of their employees, the law puts lobbyists at new legal risk and could subject them to new pressure from prosecutors. And new centralized disclosures of lobbyists’ campaign contributions, fund-raising activities and even their achievements — in the form of Congressional earmarksin spending bills — make it only easier for federal investigators to paint unflattering portraits of lobbyists’ influence.
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