[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 137 (Wednesday, September 6, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1703-E1704]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                                LOBBYING

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 1995

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
Report for Wednesday, August 9, 1995, into the Congressional Record.
  The report follows:
                     Lobbying and Special Interests

       Governing in America has become increasingly difficult in 
     recent years. Part of the problem is that the country is much 
     bigger than it used to be. Since World War II, the population 
     of the U.S. has grown from 130 million people to 260 million. 
     The country has become much more diverse: more than half of 
     all California voters in the 1996 election will be non-white, 
     and some of my colleagues will barely speak a word of English 
     during their next congressional campaign. The country also 
     faces difficult policy issues--from balancing the budget to 
     the challenge of cheap labor abroad. But part of the problem 
     is also the increasing role of special interests in the 
     political process.
       Special interests groups have become much more numerous and 
     well-organized in recent years. Washington, of course, has 
     always had lobbyists, and contacting Members of Congress is a 
     basic form of political expression. But we have far more 
     lobbyists now than ever before and they have become very 
     sophisticated and aggressive. Lobbying is one of the biggest 
     growth industries around. There are more than 12,000 
     registered lobbyists in Washington today, three times more 
     than 20 years ago, but studies show that there are actually 
     close to 100,000 people in Washington who conduct lobbying 
     activities. I used to hear from just a few farm groups on 
     agricultural legislation, for example. Today there are dozens 
     of groups that represent every commodity; not long ago I was 
     visited by people representing Hawaiian Macadamia nut 
     growers. Many lobbyists now also represent foreign 
     governments or companies.
       In recent years lobbyists have also greatly expanded their 
     grassroots efforts--trying to persuade ordinary voters to 
     advocate by their letters and contacts with legislators. They 
     use the technologies of the electronic age and can quickly 
     reach and recruit thousands of Americans. With their 
     increasing numbers and influence, lobbyists have become a 
     real power in Washington. They can organize mass 
     demonstrations and flood Members' offices with phone calls, 
     fax messages, and letters.
                         benefits of lobbyists

       In some ways the growth of these interest groups and 
     lobbying efforts is healthy. I sometimes walk through the 
     halls of Capitol Hill and think I am in the middle of a 
     convention or jamboree. Americans of all persuasions are 
     clamoring to be heard. No single group dominates and freedom 
     of expression is widespread and vigorous.
       Lobbyists can play an important role in the legislative 
     process. They help to facilitate the flow of information 
     between legislators and their constituents, and they are 
     well-informed and have detailed knowledge of the issues and 
     Washington politics. They are often skillful in bringing 
     contending parties together and building coalitions. With 
     their growing numbers, they are also able to organize 
     constituent interests and get broad numbers of people 
     involved in grassroots lobbying. Lobbyists often play an 
     integral role in representing less prominent interests by 
     publicizing their causes.


                               drawbacks

       But the current lobbying system does have drawbacks. 
     Sometimes it seems that everybody is represented except the 
     average man 

[[Page E 1704]]
     and woman, and that their interests can be lost in all the special 
     pleading.
       Hoosiers are rightly concerned about the influence 
     lobbyists have in our federal government. The efforts of 
     lobbyists can at times go too far--giving lavish gifts to 
     influential Members, helping to funnel large contributions to 
     campaign coffers, using strong-arm tactics to get action on 
     their particular agenda, and drafting entire sections of 
     bills or official committee reports. Current lobbying 
     regulations requiring the public disclosure of lobbyists' 
     expenses and activities are vague and are generally 
     considered inadequate.
       Lobbyists' efforts can cancel each other out. Members of 
     Congress often witness a clash of sophisticated and 
     aggressive interest groups attempting to achieve 
     contradictory policy goals. They push and pull in so many 
     different directions that nothing seems to move anywhere. 
     They add many issues to the public agenda and that just
      makes it much more difficult to get legislation passed--
     hence gridlock and a greater level of public 
     dissatisfaction.


                            need for reform
       All of this has brought about more pressure for lobbying 
     reform. I support several reforms. We should require 
     disclosure of who is paying the lobbyist, how much is being 
     paid, what federal agencies and congressional committees are 
     being lobbyied, and the issues involved. Lobbyists should be 
     required to identify how much is being spent on activities 
     such as mass mailing campaigns. We should prohibit Members of 
     Congress and their staffs from accepting gifts from 
     lobbyists. Voters have a right to be skeptical about some of 
     the gifts Members can now legally take. We should also 
     require the public disclosure of bill language or committee 
     report language drafted by lobbyists. The Senate recently 
     passed measures to impose a gift ban and to improve lobbying 
     disclosure; the House should follow suit.
       Lobbying reform is needed, but it must be balanced. We must 
     not reach too far and try to restrict legitimate lobbying 
     activities and public contact with Members of Congress. 
     Almost any attempt by the government to limit private and 
     nongovernmental entities from using their own private funds 
     to lobby will be difficult due to the First Amendment. 
     Individuals who lobby on their own behalf or volunteers who 
     lobby on behalf of a group should not be covered. In 
     regulating lobbyists we have to be very careful to protect 
     free speech and specifically careful to exclude from 
     regulation contacts from churches and related groups.


                               conclusion

       Lobbying will always remain an important part of our 
     political process because of the First Amendment right to 
     petition the government for redress of grievances, but there 
     are abuses that need to be checked. Our goals should not be 
     to try to stamp out lobbying entirely, but to improve the 
     current system so that it becomes more open and accountable 
     and enables us to take the multiplicity of interests in this 
     country and forge them into the national interest.
     

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