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Early Efforts at Federal Regulation of Lobbying
Required lobbyists to register with the House Clerk. Several states by the 19th century criminalized lobbying. None of these were enforced. -
Senator Hugo Black of Alabama
Black tried to fight against corrupt lobbying practices in Washington by having them register their names, salaries, monthly expenses, and their intent of their lobbying activities. He discovered lobbyists were impersonating an elected official by use of telegrams. -
Foregin Agents Registration Act (FARA)
Its purpose was to limit foreign agents influence on American public policy. It came about because of Adolph Hitler wanting to fan the Nazi movement in the United States. -
Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (FRLA)
After World War II, it provieded a system attempting to influance congress. -
The Byrd Amendment and Miscellaneous Disclosure Laws
Senator Robert Byrd proposed an ammendment to an interior appropriations bill that would make using government money by any private person to affect the outcome of any federal contract grant or loan illegal. -
Lobbying Disclosure Act
The first version of the act was proposed by Senator Carl Levin -
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA)
Created at the end of 1995 in hopes to close all the loopholes left from the 1946 regulation. -
LDA revisions
The LDA had some revisions added for various "technical" issues in the year 1998 -
Request filed
After the Freedom of Information Act, people started to wonder how seriously the Department of Justice took LDA violations. -
Realizatoin
It came to light in 2008 that there was not enough personnel assigned to LDA law enforcement then there should have bee. only 5 people when there were more than 700 people available -
