Democrats and Lobbying/Ethics Reform

With House Majority Leader Tom DeLay becoming a household name because of his controversial ties to lobbyists, Democrats have an opening to make clean government reforms their issue. That opening is already being pioneered out here in the Rocky Mountain region - and Washington, D.C. Democrats should take heed.

In Colorado, the Denver Post reports that Democratic lawmakers are pushing legislation to force companies seeking contracts with the state to file reports on their efforts to lobby state workers. State Sen. Bob Hagedorn (D-Aurora) said he wants companies to disclose how much they spend trying to influence the officials who decide on state contracts. Imagine if there had been a tough federal law like this - we'd have a lot more information about exactly how much Jack Abramoff spent greasing up Tom DeLay's staff.

In Montana, Gov. Brian Schweitzer has told reporters he is going to push his comprehensive ethics/lobbying reform proposal into a statewide voter referendum, after the lawmakers rejected it during the recent legislative session. Schweitzer's referendum will create a two-year "cooling of" period whereby legislators and administration officials could not be employed as lobbyists after leaving public service. It will include new financial reporting requirements for lobbyists and lawmakers to to reveal what "perks" they are giving out and receiving. Schweitzer has already put his efforts into practice in his domain - he has refused to appoint any lobbyists to state boards or commissions.

Congressional Democrats need to strike while the iron is hot. That means offering up a strong package of reforms. Sure, some Democrats themselves are guilty of being close to lobbyists - but that doesn't mean the party can't seize the mantle of reform. Just look at Sen. John McCain. He was one of the handful of Senators involved in the Keating money-for-favors scandal, and yet ran as a campaign finance reformer. The scandal gave him added credibility because he was able to say he had firsthand knowledge of how corrupt the system is. Democrats can do the same thing on the issue of ethics/lobbying reform.

UPDATE: A reader pointed out that in New Hampshire, too, the new Democratic administration is pushing a lobbying/ethics reform package as well.