Thursday, February 16, 2006
Insult To Injury
As if life was not hard enough these days for lobbyists, a software snafu is providing new headaches:
Thousands of lobbyists, including the president of a lobbyists' trade association and the co-author of an authoritative lobbying manual, were unable to file their disclosure reports electronically this week as required by a new congressional system...
Unable to use the new filing method, they were forced to print out their reports and mail or fax them with a cover letter explaining that at least they had tried...
The new system was hailed by lawmakers, lobbyists and government watchdog groups as a boon to public disclosure when it was announced last summer. It was initiated by Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), then the chairman of the House Administration Committee who has since been implicated in the Jack Abramoff political corruption scandal.
Previously, electronic filing had been voluntary. Ney, who denies he did anything wrong related to Abramoff, made it mandatory in the House starting this year.
There outta be a law.
