Roll Call (10/01/08); Palmer, Anna

The Government Accountability Office reported that lobbyists were able to provide accurate supporting information for at least 95 percent of the 17,801 disclosure reports filed in the first quarter of 2008. The report, based on a random sampling of 100 clients, was required as part of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, the first major lobbying disclosure reform bill to pass since 1995. Under the new law, the GAO had to finish auditing first-quarter 2008 lobbying reports by Sept. 30. From now on, the GAO will review quarterly disclosure filings on an annual basis, issuing a report to Congress by April 1. Each lobbyist sampled by the GAO was asked to provide information supporting eight parts of their initial disclosure report, including the amount of money spent or received, which chamber of Congress or federal agency was lobbied, and what issues were lobbied. Although lobbyists were able to provide information supporting expenses or support income for 91 percent of reports, they had more difficulty providing written documentation on several other issues. The GAO's report also revealed that some firms over-report the amount of time spent on lobbying activities. Watchdog groups were disappointed with the level of scrutiny placed on the lobbyists, as they were hoping that the GAO would review their records similarly to the way the IRS audits taxpayers.(www.rollcall.com)

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