The Lobbying Disclosure Reform Act of 2020 would add “strategic lobbying services” to the influence-seeking activities that would have to be publicly reported, among other provisions aimed at strengthening disclosure.
Lobbyists who work to influence the federal government report spending, combined, about $3 billion per year for their efforts. But that figure is just a fraction of what corporations and other interests spend on their lobbying.
Besides making calls to congressional offices and holding briefings for staffers, lobbying organizations often employ “soft power” tactics to get information favorable to their causes in front of policymakers and influencers. For example, trade groups often plant op-eds built around their talking points on websites like The Hill that are read almost exclusively by D.C. insiders. It’s also common for groups to form astroturf coalitions and call on their audiences to lobby policymakers on their behalf.
To increase transparency of these activities, freshman Reps. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Ben Cline (R-Va.) last week introduced a bill—the Lobbying Disclosure Reform Act of 2020—that would require companies, trade groups and other entities that employ lobbyists to begin disclosing information about the “strategic lobbying services” they employ in support of their lobbyists. The bill would require reporting of individuals employed in strategic planning, earned media and press strategy, polling, production of public communications, and encouraging people to take action to support or oppose a legislative or regulatory action through the formation of formal or informal coalitions. Continue reading.