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116-505: The American Anti-Corruption Act ( AACA ), sometimes shortened to Anti-Corruption Act , is a piece of model legislation designed to limit the influence of money in American politics by overhauling lobbying, transparency, and campaign finance laws. It was crafted in 2011 "by former Federal Election Commission chairman Trevor Potter in consultation with dozens of strategists, democracy reform leaders and constitutional attorneys from across

232-506: A 1949 law, people who had public concessions had the right to keep them if there was no opposition from third parties. In 2009 this law is abolished under menace of legal procedure from the Eu for infraction of a 2006 directive, that established mandatory public procedures that were impartial and transparent. Anyhow, since then, governments continuously postponed any decision regarding modifying laws on public concessions for beach establishments. Under

348-531: A Regulation of interest representation. The Regulation expired in late 2017, when the term of the sitting Parliament expired. With the rising of the new parliamentary term in 2018, the Regulation was not being readopted. At the subnational level, only six regions have legislations about lobbying: Tuscany (2002), Molise (2004), Abruzzo (2010), Calabria (2016), Lombardy (2016) and Puglia (2017). These regional legislations have similar structure, but only Tuscany took

464-574: A ban on Airbnb in the country. The lack of competitive markets is one of the main reasons Italy has not experienced economic growth in recent years. However, pressure groups continue to defend their privileges, hindering economic liberalization . The International Monetary Fund study indicates that true liberalization could grow Italy's GDP in a few years, but lobbies seem to be able to prevent such changes. A 2016 study found evidence of significant indirect lobbying of then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi through business proxies. The authors document

580-429: A charter provision, implemented by county ordinance, and went into effect September 2017. The ballot measure, which passed with 89% of voter support, makes significant alterations to campaign finance law at the county level. Prior to Measure 26-184, there had been no limits to county officials' ability to accept donations. Measure 26-184 established a $ 500 limit for individuals and political committees. It also allowed for

696-522: A coalition of 30 investigative journalists published a series called "Copy, Paste, Legislate", investigating the corporate interests behind many model laws. One early example of a model law was eugenicist Harry H. Laughlin's Model Eugenical Sterilization Law. In 1922, he published the book Eugenical Sterilization in the United States whose purpose was to persuade state legislatures into passing sterilization laws, which it also did. In chapter XV of

812-552: A constitutional amendment to overturn Supreme Court decisions such as Citizens United v. FEC and Buckley v. Valeo . In 2014, voters in Tallahassee, Florida , approved a city charter amendment modeled after the AACA. The referendum, which passed with 67 percent of the vote, established a city ethics board, created public rebates for political donations up to $ 25, instructed the board to create an ethics code within six months of

928-411: A court, typically by parties to a lawsuit. Amici curiae briefs are briefs filed by people or groups who are not parties to a suit. These briefs are entered into the court records and give additional background on the matter being decided upon. Advocacy groups use these briefs both to share their expertise and to promote their positions. The lobbying industry is affected by the revolving door concept,

1044-613: A distinct or expressly mentioned objective. The Romanian Lobby Registry Association (ARRL) was founded in June 2010 to popularize and promote lobbying activity. ARRL is a non-profit legal entity that works under private law. The majority of lobbying companies represent non-governmental organizations which activities include education, ecology, fundamental freedoms, health, consumer rights etc. Other entities that deal with lobby practice are multinational companies, Romanian companies, law firms and specialized lobby firms. In India , where there

1160-460: A former data scientist at the University of Chicago to spot similarities between model acts and enacted legislation. Its main finding was that during the period 2010 to 2018 lawmakers had introduced bills based on model acts at least 10,000 times. Another 10,000 bills were likely copied but were more dissimilar. The investigation identified over 2,100 model acts but speculated that the real number

1276-725: A government accountability board; HB 1052, an act to provide certain protections for public employees; HB 1165, an act to provide for annually updated financial interest statements for any person elected to statewide or local office; and SB 131, an act revising certain provisions concerning the period of time certain persons are prohibited from lobbying after leaving office. On November 8, 2016, voters in Multnomah County, Oregon , passed Measure 26-184, which "limits contributions, expenditures, (and) requires disclosure in Multnomah County candidate elections. The measure created

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1392-531: A growing issue. The current situation in Italy regarding taxi services is regulated by Law No. 21 of 1992. According to this law, the responsibility for determining the number of taxi licenses, shifts, and fares is given to the municipalities. Taxi licenses are held by artisan business owners who have passed a driver's exam and are registered with the Chamber of Commerce. After holding a license for five years, reaching

1508-638: A lobbyist. The measure made significant alterations to existing campaign finance laws in the state. Per the State Attorney General explanation: This measure extensively revises State campaign finance laws. It requires additional disclosures and increased reporting. It lowers contribution amounts to political action committees; political parties; and candidates for statewide, legislative, or county office. It also imposes limits on contributions from candidate campaign committees, political action committees, and political parties. The measure creates

1624-400: A movement of personnel between roles as legislators and regulators and roles in the industries affected by legislation and regulation, as the main asset for a lobbyist is contacts with and influence on government officials. This climate is attractive for ex-government officials. It can also mean substantial monetary rewards for lobbying firms , and government projects and contracts worth in

1740-426: A portion of their advertising budgets to Mediaset during Berlusconi's tenure. Despite higher prices for advertising space on Mediaset channels during Berlusconi's tenure, companies continued to advertise, suggesting that they expect significant political benefits from supporting the network. Mediaset's advertising partners are estimated to have paid about 1.9 billion euros more during Berlusconi's three terms, indicating

1856-550: A publicly funded campaign finance program for statewide and legislative candidates who choose to participate and agree to limits on campaign contributions and expenditures. Under the program, two $ 50 "credits" are issued to each registered voter, who assigns them to participating candidates. The credits are redeemed from the program, which is funded by an annual State general-fund appropriation of $ 9 per registered voter. The program fund may not exceed $ 12 million at any time. The measure creates an appointed ethics commission to administer

1972-799: A relatively lower number of taxis available compared to its population. In August 2019, the then Transport Councillor Marco Granelli acknowledged the need to increase the number of taxi licenses by 450 to meet the demand. Data showed that a significant percentage of calls for taxis were going unanswered during peak hours and weekends. However, the issue was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remains uncertain when it will be addressed. Romanian legislation does not include an express regulation on lobbying activity. The legislative proposals initiated by various parliamentarians have not been finalized. Attempts to regulate lobbying in Romania have appeared in

2088-715: A report by The Guardian , which involved the name of a senior Czech MEP Tomáš Zdechovský . The controversy concerned the European Parliament's "friendship groups", the unofficial bodies operating with no formal regulations and sometimes under sponsored lobbyists and foreign governments. The European Parliament was preparing to vote on a resolution to call for a release of a Bahraini political prisoner Abdulhadi al-Khawaja . However, chair of European Parliament's Bahrain friendship group, Zdechovský came under questions for visiting Bahrain in April 2022, without declaring. In

2204-704: A resolution) has been launched by several MPs so as to establish a register for representatives of interest groups and lobbyists who intend to lobby the MPs. In Germany, lobbying has existed since 1956, when the Federal Constitutional Court issued a ruling legalizing it. A mandatory lobby register (German: Lobbyliste) was introduced in Germany effective 1 January 2022, along with a code of conduct. These rules were criticized as insufficient by several opposition party members and representatives from

2320-466: A separate resolution, Zdechovský's EPP failed to call for Khawaja's release and instead called him a "political opponent". Director of BIRD , Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei accused the Czech MEP of acting as a mouthpiece for Bahrain. Canada maintains a Registry of Lobbyists. Over 5,000 people now working as registered lobbyists at Canada's federal level. Lobbying began as an unregulated profession, but since

2436-522: A sign or badge reading: "Paid Signature Gatherer". Finally, penalties for violating election laws were increased from $ 10 per day to $ 75 per day. Additional penalties ranging from $ 250 to $ 1,000 per day were created to punish infractions within 30 days of an election. Finally, I-122 prohibits elected officials and their staff from lobbying the city government within three years of their departure from office. Initiative I-122 implemented several reforms, including new contribution limits on contractors that lobby

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2552-487: A significant pro- Mediaset (the mass media company founded and controlled by Berlusconi) bias in the allocation of advertising spending during Berlusconi's political tenure, in particular for companies operating in more regulated sectors. Using advertising data from the Nielsen AdEx database, the behavior of companies buying advertising space on Mediaset television channels during Berlusconi's tenure as prime minister

2668-398: A small part of their normal job. Governments often define "lobbying" for legal purposes, and regulate organized group lobbying that has become influential. The ethics and morals involved with legally lobbying or influence peddling are controversial. Lobbying can, at times, be spoken of with contempt , when the implication is that people with inordinate socioeconomic power are corrupting

2784-530: A step forward to implement this legislation and create a public register. In Italy, over the years, lobbies and power groups have obstructed the liberalization of markets and favored the protection of existing privileges. Despite various attempts to promote competition, such as the Law for the Market and Competition passed a year ago, the process has been riddled with delays, amendments and compromises that have weakened

2900-681: A stronger ethics framework were established at the EU level, including an independent ethics body and longer cooling-off periods for MEPs. In the wake of the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal in Washington, D.C., and the massive impact this had on the lobbying scene in the United States, the rules for lobbying in the EU—which until now consisted of only a non-binding code of conduct—may also be tightened. Eventually, on 31 January 2019

3016-515: A team of 30 reporters from the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), USA TODAY , and The Arizona Republic published the result of a two-year-long investigation into model acts entitled "Copy, Paste, Legislate". The investigation raised concerns over the role of ALEC and other corporate-sponsored organizations on the American legislative process. The investigation used text analysis software called Legislative Influence Detector created by Joe Walsh,

3132-485: A template for tribal legal infrastructure on reservations to provide consistency and greater accessibility in lending and credit transactions. The American Bar Association is an association of American lawyers and law students which has published a large number of model acts. Its most successful model law is probably the Model Business Corporation Act published in 1950. As of 2020 , the act

3248-490: A terrorism registry, on instances of direct action performed by organizations such as the Animal Liberation Front . ALEC's model acts concern many topics important to conservatives like Stand Your Ground , Voter ID, illegal immigration , truth in sentencing , three strikes , right to know , and cutting taxes. ALEC has drafted and distributed state-level legislation to limit. It has also opposed

3364-849: Is a result of the growing recognition of lobbying as a critical discipline at the intersection of politics, economics, and society. In 2003 there were around 15,000 lobbyists (consultants, lawyers, associations, corporations, NGOs etc.) in Brussels seeking to influence the EU's legislation. Some 2,600 special interest groups had a permanent office in Brussels. Their distribution was roughly as follows: European trade federations (32%), consultants (20%), companies (13%), NGOs (11%), national associations (10%), regional representations (6%), international organizations (5%) and think tanks (1%), (Lehmann, 2003, pp iii). In addition to this, lobby organisations sometimes hire former EU employees (a phenomenon known as

3480-535: Is also an industry known by many of the aforementioned names, and has a near complete overlap with the public affairs industry . Lobbyists may fall into different categories: amateur lobbyists, such as individual voters or voter blocs within an electoral district ; professional lobbyists who engage in lobbying as a business or profession; and government relations support staff who work on behalf of professional lobbyists but may not actively engage in direct influencing or face-to-face meetings with targeted individuals to

3596-430: Is capped at $ 950,000; they can spend up to $ 380,000 in the primary and up to $ 570,000 in the general election. Anti-Corruption Resolutions are public mandates calling for Anti-Corruption legislation at the state and federal level. On July 14, 2014, Princeton, New Jersey, "became the first municipality in the country to adopt an Anti-Corruption Resolution sponsored by Represent.Us ". The Princeton resolution mentions six of

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3712-536: Is carried out by various entities, including individuals acting as voters , constituents, or private citizens; corporations pursuing their business interests; non-profits and NGOs through advocacy groups to achieve their missions; and legislators or government officials influencing each other in legislative affairs. Lobbying or certain practices that share commonalities with lobbying are sometimes referred to as government relations , or government affairs and sometimes legislative relations, or legislative affairs. It

3828-588: Is director of Barton Deakin Government Relations. His colleagues there include David Alexander (former Costello staffer), Sallyanne Atkinson (former Lord Mayor of Brisbane and former federal Liberal Party candidate), Howard staffer John Griffin and former New South Wales Liberal Party leader, Peter Collins. The Labor "sister" company is Hawker Britton, so named as both firms are owned by STW Group. In 2013, Hawker Britton had 113 client companies on its books. In 2013, there were just under 280 firms on

3944-471: Is far higher since many organizations keep their model acts secret. In many states, the use of model bills was found to have supplanted the traditional way of writing legislation "from scratch". Mississippi was found to be the state with the highest number of bills introduced based on model acts, 744 - 200 more than the next highest state. 288 came from the non-partisan Council of State Governments and 255 from ALEC. But only 57 of them became law, according to

4060-574: Is followed by 24 states. Another influential act ABA has drafted is the 1979 Model Procurement Code for State and Local Governments , which as of 2000 had been adopted in full by 16 states and in part by several more. The act went through a major update in 2000. Other model acts drafted by ABA include the Model Airspace Act in 1973, and the Model Code for Public Infrastructure Procurement in 2007. The American Law Institute (ALI)

4176-408: Is in power and that the mix of advertisers on Mediaset channels shifts toward regulated firms during his tenure. To assess the impact of Berlusconi's political influence, industries were ranked according to their regulatory score, obtained from a survey of Italian economists. Highly regulated industries, such as telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing, showed a greater tendency to allocate

4292-762: Is kept by the Australian Government and is accessible to the public via its website. Similar registers for State government lobbyists were introduced between 2007 and 2009 around Australia. Since April 2007 in Western Australia, only lobbyists listed on the state's register are allowed to contact a government representative for the purpose of lobbying. Similar rules have applied in Tasmania since 1 September 2009 and in South Australia and Victoria since 1 December 2009. A criticism of

4408-540: Is most famous for its Restatements of the Law but has also produced model acts. A well-known example is the Model Penal Code published in 1962 seeking to harmonize state criminal law . The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) an American nonprofit organization —whose members include conservative state legislators and private sector representatives—is a prolific producer of model state-level laws for conservative causes. ALEC has deep ties to

4524-758: Is no law regulating the process, lobbying has traditionally been a tool for industry bodies like the National Association of Software and Service Companies , the Confederation of Indian Industry , the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry , the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India and other pressure groups to engage with the government ahead of the national budget and legislation in parliament . Lobbying activities have frequently been identified in

4640-865: Is not specific to federations, and international organizations such as the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law , the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement , and the European Union have also written model laws to harmonize laws between different countries. Although model acts inherently can serve valid purposes (such as for uniform justice , with less capriciousness), their distortion into disguised lobbying has been criticized. American critics of such model laws have thus referred to them as "copycat laws", "fill-in-the-blanks laws", and "copy-paste laws". The concept caused some controversy in 2019 when

4756-585: Is one for the European Union where French lobbyists are able to register themselves. For example, the internal rule of the National Assembly (art. 23 and 79) forbids members of Parliament to be linked with a particular interest . Also, there is no rule at all for consultation of interest groups by the Parliament and the Government. Nevertheless, a recent parliamentary initiative (motion for

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4872-627: Is represented by both ECG Consulting and Bespoke Approach, while its own parent company, Wesfarmers , has former West Australian premier Alan Carpenter in charge of corporate affairs. Competitor Woolworths has a government relations team composed of former Labor and Liberal advisers, under the direction of a former leader of the National Party, Andrew Hall. Aldi engages GRA (Government Relations Australia), one of Australia's largest lobbying firms, whose staff includes former Federal Labor treasurer, John Dawkins . A register of federal lobbyists

4988-659: Is the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration . Model legislative provisions on privately financed infrastructure projects were drafted by UNCITRAL and recommended for states to use by the United Nations General Assembly in 2004. Other UNCITRAL Legislative Guides, which make recommendations for efficient approaches to addressing an area of law within a national or local context, are listed at United Nations Commission on International Trade Law#Legislative Guides . In 2019,

5104-487: Is to serve as "model legislation that sets a standard for city, state and federal laws that prevent money from corrupting American government." Organizations such as Represent.Us advocate for state and local laws that reflect the provisions of the AACA, often using the ballot initiative process. Since the provisions of the AACA are likely to be found constitutional, this differs from the approach taken by other electoral reform groups such as Move to Amend , which advocate for

5220-582: The Australian National University noted that over this time, retired politicians have increasingly turned political lobbyists to leverage their networks and experience for private gain. In 2018 he noted that two of the top three Howard government ministers had become lobbyists: Alexander Downer and Peter Costello , and that the trend could be traced back to the Hawke Government of 1983. Mick Young stated that by 1983

5336-584: The BBC , an OED lexicographer has shown that "lobbying" finds its roots in the gathering of Members of Parliament and peers in the hallways ("lobbies") of the United Kingdom Houses of Parliament before and after parliamentary debates where members of the public can meet their representatives. One story held that the term originated at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., where it

5452-513: The Center for Media and Democracy , publishers of the ALEC Exposed series. ALEC has also been criticized for being funded by big corporations and over alleged underhandedness. The Guardian has described it as a "dating agency for Republican state legislators and big corporations" to "frame rightwing legislative agendas". Some notable model acts not drafted by the above-mentioned organizations: An example of an international model law

5568-467: The Council of Europe , who argued that they did not adequately address issues of transparency and potential conflicts of interest. Stricter rules are scheduled to come into effect on January 1, 2024. Italy does not have a lobbying legislation at national level nowadays, even though there have been proposals by lawmakers during the years. In 2016, the Chamber of deputies added an addendum that introduced

5684-495: The European Parliament adopted binding rules on lobby transparency. Amending its Rules of Procedure, the Parliament stipulated that MEPs involved in drafting and negotiating legislation must publish online their meetings with lobbyists. The amendment says that "rapporteurs, shadow rapporteurs or committee chairs shall, for each report, publish online all scheduled meetings with interest representatives falling under

5800-869: The Grant Administration , the OED cites numerous documented uses of the word well before Grant's presidency, including use in Pennsylvania as early as 1808. The term "lobbying" also appeared in print as early as 1820: Other letters from Washington affirm, that members of the Senate, when the compromise question was to be taken in the House, were not only "lobbying about the Representatives' Chamber" but also active in endeavoring to intimidate certain weak representatives by insulting threats to dissolve

5916-482: The Israeli-American Coalition for Action 's (AIC) Joe Sabag, his "buddy and wordsmith-in-chief", to prepare the bill. Eugene Kontorovich, a George Mason University law professor, assisted in drafting the legislation. He also helped other states with their anti-BDS laws and frequently defends their constitutionality in the media. By May 2019, 25 other states had adopted similar measures. Many of

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6032-494: The State Policy Network (SPN), an umbrella organization for a consortium of conservative and libertarian think tanks that focus on state-level policy , which is one of ALEC's sponsors. One of ALEC's earliest model acts were the 1981 Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act to prohibit acts that would make agricultural business operations more difficult. The act sought to impose harsh penalties, including

6148-477: The United States , because the country consists of 50 semi-autonomous states , each with its own legislature and set of laws , avoidance of needless variation is valuable, reserving variation only to essential autonomous differences. There, model laws are referred to as model acts or model bills . Many American special interest groups draft model acts which they lobby lawmakers to pass. In particular,

6264-435: The law in order to serve their own interests. When people who have a duty to act on behalf of others, such as elected officials with a duty to serve their constituents' interests or more broadly the public good, can benefit by shaping the law to serve the interests of some private parties, a conflict of interest exists. Many critiques of lobbying point to the potential for conflicts of interest to lead to agent misdirection or

6380-529: The " right-to-try " law that was signed into law in Ohio in 2016 by then-Governor John Kasich . It allows patients with terminal illnesses to try drugs that the federal Food and Drug Administration has not approved. The law was passed on the federal level in 2018. The "Copy, Paste, Legislate" investigation also documented the Israel lobby 's largely successful attempts to get statehouses to pass legislation to curb

6496-459: The "Honest Elections Seattle" initiative, which made alterations and additions to Seattle's election code. Amended sections include SMC 2.04.165 and SMC 2.04.370, which respectively cover the statement of personal financial affairs and contribution limits. New sections to the city's election code and their titles are as follows: I-122 established a voucher program that gave each Seattle voter four $ 25 " democracy vouchers " which they could donate to

6612-520: The "anti-boycott executive order and news release" for the governor of Louisiana. A pro-Israel lobbyist closely helped edit the bill and guided the lawmaker who introduced and supported the anti-boycott legislation in Nevada. Lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy , which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary . Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and

6728-527: The Advancement of Colored People , for example, filed suits in state and federal courts in the 1950s to challenge segregation laws. Their efforts resulted in the Supreme Court declaring such laws unconstitutional. Lobbyists may use a legal device known as amicus curiae ( lit.   ' friend of the court ' ) briefs to try to influence court cases. Briefs are written documents filed with

6844-655: The Committee on the Rules of Procedure, the Verification of Credentials and Immunities, was appointed to submit proposals for a Code of conduct and a register of lobbyists. Today lobbying in the European Union is an integral and important part of decision-making in the EU. From year to year lobbying regulation in the EU is constantly improving and the number of lobbyists increases. This increase in lobbying activity

6960-617: The Federal Australian Register of Lobbyists. Steve Carney of Carney Associated says that lobbyists "try to leave no thumbprints on the glass, no footprints in the sand. The best lobbying is when nobody knows you were there." Mark Textor of campaign advisory group Crosby Textor describes political lobbying as a "pathetic miserable industry". Supermarket chains in Australia engage lobbying firms with political weight in their ranks. Australian Supermarket giant Coles

7076-616: The Indian government made a controversial decision to permit foreign direct investment in the country's multi-brand retail sector. Successful grassroots lobbying campaigns include the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan 's campaign to pass the 2005 Right to Information Act and Anna Hazare 's anti-corruption campaign to introduce the 2011 Lokpal Bill . There is no register for lobbying activity and no cooling off period for public officials before they can enter

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7192-504: The Italian State's properties: since 2022, owners have to pay a fee of 2698 euros to keep a public concession of a beach establishment. This is an amount of money that would be paid back just by renting for three months 2 beach umbrellas for 15 euros each (and in many cases the renting prices are higher). The Court of Accounts has declared an imbalance between the fee and the gains from the beach establishment. Until 2009, according to

7308-600: The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, was founded in 1892 to provide American jurisdictions with robust legislation. ULC promotes enactment of uniform acts in areas of state law where uniformity is desirable and practical. ULC produces both model and uniform acts. Since its inception it has produced over 250 uniform acts. ULC drafted the Model Tribal Secured Transactions Act in 2005 which served as

7424-562: The Palestinian-led BDS movement . BDS calls for comprehensive boycotts of Israel until it stops its human rights violations against Palestinians. The legislation that the Israel lobby promotes requires state contractors to pledge not to boycott Israel and state pension funds to divest from entities that do. One of the first anti-BDS law was sponsored by Republican lawmaker Alan Clemmons who introduced it in 2015. He worked with

7540-573: The Postal Service monopoly. In addition, the rule on RCA tariffs was withdrawn after protests from insurance companies, while the diatribe between taxi drivers and Uber was postponed for a separate measure. Professional associations, such as lawyers and dentists, opposed measures that undermined their interests, such as the requirement for lawyers to have a quote or the requirement that dental companies be at least two-thirds owned by registered members. Other categories, such as hoteliers, called for

7656-546: The South Dakota Anti-Corruption Act. IM-22 passed with 51.83% voter support. The major features of IM-22 were campaign finance reform, including lowering contribution limits and requiring additional disclosures; the creation of a public financing program for state and legislative candidates; the creation of an ethics commission; and the implementation of "cooling off" periods that establish a duration former legislators must wait before taking work as

7772-456: The Union. Governments often define and regulate organized group lobbying as part of laws to prevent political corruption and by establishing transparency about possible influences by public lobby registers . Lobby groups may concentrate their efforts on the legislatures, where laws are created, but may also use the judicial branch to advance their causes. The National Association for

7888-448: The age of 60, or due to illness, license holders can transfer their license to someone else upon indicating their preference to the municipality. In case of death, the license can be passed to one of the heirs or their designated individuals. Italy has an average of one taxi for every 2,000 inhabitants, whereas countries like France and Spain have ratios of 1,160 and 1,028 taxis per 2,000 inhabitants, respectively. This suggests that Italy has

8004-530: The amount of money lobbyists can give to candidates and parties, while 31% picked putting tough limits on super PACs", according to the MSNBC summary of the survey. Model legislation Model laws are especially prevalent in federations because the federal subjects (for example, states, provinces, or other subjects) are autonomous or semi-autonomous but nonetheless can benefit from a substantial degree of uniformity of laws among jurisdictions. For example, in

8120-749: The ballot by the San Francisco Ethics Commission, requires lobbyists to register with the city's Ethics Commission, pay a $ 500 registration fee, and file monthly disclosure reports of their lobbying activities. It also expands the definition of a lobbyist to include a new category—an "expenditure lobbyist"—that includes persons who spend more than $ 2,500 in a month to influence legislation or city administrative action. In addition, Proposition C prohibits expenditure lobbyists from making gifts worth more than $ 25 to city officers. In 2015, voters in Seattle, Washington , approved Initiative 122,

8236-571: The bills shared exact wording. The anti-BDS initiatives, undertaken by activist groups concerned about the rise of antisemitism , such as the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and the Israeli-American Coalition for Action, have been largely successful in pushing the anti-boycott legislation through state legislatures, according to a two-year collaborative investigative journal report. A JFNA lobbyist wrote

8352-536: The book he included the bill Model Eugenical Sterilization Law . Two years later, Laughlin's sterilization act was enacted almost unmodified by the Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 . The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law in Buck v. Bell in 1927, paving the way for similar sterilization laws in other states. The non-profit Uniform Law Commission (ULC), formerly known as

8468-463: The candidates of their choice, as long as the candidate in question adheres to certain campaign contribution limits established by the law. The voucher system is funded by an increase in the city's property tax rate. I-122 also created or strengthened several limits on campaign contributions. The maximum campaign contribution limit was lowered from $ 700 to $ 500. I-122 prohibits campaign contributions from any person or entity which currently has, or within

8584-462: The career paths of former EU officials and found that 30% of Members of the European Parliament who left politics went to work for organisations on the EU lobby register after their mandate and approximately one third of Commissioners serving under Barroso took jobs in the private sector after their mandate, including for Uber , ArcelorMittal , Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch . These potential conflicts of interest could be avoided if

8700-568: The city's registration process, prohibits them from making campaign contributions to officials they are registered to lobby and making gifts to any city elected official, and prohibits the facilitation of third-party donations by lobbyists, a process known as "bundling". In November 2016, voters in South Dakota approved Initiated Measure 22, also known as the Revision of State Campaign Finance and Lobbying Laws, and referred to by supporters as

8816-732: The city's website, "The purpose of the program is to improve transparency by requiring Political Consultants advising City elected officials to meet certain registration and reporting requirements." The program is administered by the city auditor's office. Ordinance 187680 mandated disclosures for political consultants: On May 17, 2016, county commissioners passed a memorandum requiring that all candidates register when they raise money for PACs. On November 8, 2016, voters in San Francisco passed Proposition T. The measure, which passed with 87.26% of voter support, requires lobbyists to identify which agencies and officials they intend to target during

8932-479: The city, revolving door restrictions for city officials, and electronic disclosure requirements. [8] The initiative's backers cite the AACA as "the single most influential model [they] drew from" when crafting I-122. [9] I-122 passed with approval by 63.19% of voters. On April 20, 2016, voters in Portland Oregon voted to pass Ordinance 187680, thereby adding Chapter 2.14 to the city charter. According to

9048-424: The city, meaning that a donation of $ 50 would be worth $ 350 to a candidate and a $ 100 donation would be worth $ 400 to a candidate. In order to qualify, candidates must meet several conditions: Participating candidates are required to cap overall spending at $ 550,000 for a commission race, allocating up to $ 250,000 for the primary and up to $ 300,000 for the general election. Participating mayoral candidates' spending

9164-504: The conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has successfully gotten hundreds of model acts passed since 2010. Uniform acts are model acts intended to be enacted exactly as written. They are drafted by the Uniform Law Commission (ULC), a state-run non-profit organization whose purpose is to draft laws in areas where uniformity is important (for example, to facilitate interstate commerce ). The concept

9280-485: The context of corruption cases, for example the 2010 controversy surrounding leaked audio transcripts of conversations between the corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and senior journalists and politicians. Besides private companies, the Indian government has been paying for the services a US firm since 2005 to lobby, for example, in relation to the India-US civilian nuclear deal . In India, there are no laws that defined

9396-407: The context of the fight against corruption. Anti-corruption strategies adopted in 2011 and 2004 mentions the purposes of the elaboration of a draft law on lobbying, as well as ensuring transparency in the decision-making activity. In 2008 and 2011, the emphasis was mainly on transparency in the decision-making activity of the public authorities, regulation of lobbying activities no longer appearing as

9512-520: The creation of "small donor committees", which can accept no more than $ 100 from an individual within a year and can contribute unlimited amounts to candidates or independent expenditures. The measure further limits independent expenditures in county races to $ 5,000 per individual and $ 10,000 per political committee. The measure additionally increases reporting standards. It requires entities that spend "more than $ 750 per election cycle on independent expenditures" to register as political committees and report

9628-403: The creation or expansion of municipal broadband networks. ALEC has been very successful in getting its laws passed; according to Brendan Greeley, lawmakers introduce bills based on the organization's model acts about 1,000 times per year in state legislatures and about 200 of them become law. In 2015, ALEC model bills were reflected in about 172 measures introduced in 42 states, according to

9744-461: The credit program and to enforce campaign finance and lobbying laws. The measure prohibits certain State officials and high-level employees from lobbying until two years after leaving State government. It also places limitations on lobbyists' gifts to certain state officials and staff members. On December 8, 2016, Judge Mark Barnett of South Dakota's Sixth Circuit enjoined IM-22 on the grounds that it

9860-536: The ear of monarchs and their councilors. Since the 1980s, lobbying in Australia has grown from a small industry of a few hundred employees to a multi-billion dollar per year industry. What was once the preserve of big multinational companies and at a more local level (property developers, for example Urban Taskforce Australia ) has morphed into an industry that employs more than 10,000 people and represents every facet of human endeavour. Academic John Warhurst from

9976-625: The ease of sanctions, the diplomatic efforts to end the Syrian war will be ineffective. However, the EU nations, including France and Germany, turned down the idea of restoring ties with Syria , stating that it would legitimize the regime that is accused of massacring its own people. There is currently no regulation at all for lobbying activities in France. There is no regulated access to the French institutions and no register specific to France, but there

10092-601: The eleven provisions in the original AACA draft Anti-Corruption Resolutions have been passed in the following locales: An opinion poll commissioned by Represent.Us found that 90 percent of respondents support tighter limits on campaign finance, and 97 percent would support stronger anti-corruption measures. "The poll also tested the popularity of some potential reforms, giving respondents a menu of 11 options and asking them to pick three. Forty-seven percent picked barring politicians from taking money from industries they regulate ... . Thirty-seven percent picked dramatically reducing

10208-557: The expected political value of their indirect lobbying efforts. This study provides evidence of market-based lobbying, in which companies strategically allocate their advertising budgets to gain political influence. It also highlights the additional conflict of interest that politicians with corporate holdings face and raises important questions about the role of money in politics beyond direct campaign contributions. Another relevant case of lobbying that has been going on for at least 16 years concerns owners of beach establishments. Beaches are

10324-442: The extent required for registration as lobbyists, operating within the same professional circles as registered lobbyists. Professional lobbyists are people whose business is trying to influence legislation, regulation, or other government decisions, actions, or policies on behalf of a group or individual who hires them. Nonprofit organizations whether as professional or amateur lobbyists can also lobby as an act of volunteering or as

10440-482: The government of Mario Draghi the deadline for all concessions was established for 31 December 2023: anyhow, the new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni assured in a letter of November 3, 2022, that "their government would defend the families that work in that sector", and delayed the deadline of the concessions. Some politicians claim that the families involved in the issue represent a significant and influential number of electors. Finally, lobbying from taxi drivers represents

10556-704: The hundreds of millions for those they represent. The international standards for the regulation of lobbying were introduced at four international organizations and supranational associations: 1) the European Union; 2) the Council of Europe; 3) the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; 4) the Commonwealth of Independent States. In 2013, the director general of the World Health Organization , Margaret Chan , illustrated

10672-514: The initiative was introduced in 2014 by New Jersey Speaker, Paul D. Moriarty and called for "a fine for failing to disclose open recalls to customers." It was based on model law that had been crafted by a lobbyist who headed the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers. The lobbyist said that their "model legislation" provided "suggested language" and was never intended to be a copy-and-paste exercise." Similar model legislation

10788-418: The intentional failure of an agent with a duty to serve an employer, client, or constituent to perform those duties. The failure of government officials to serve the public interest as a consequence of lobbying by special interests who provide benefits to the official is an example of agent misdirection. That is why lobbying is seen as one of the causes of a democratic deficit . Politicians tend to vote against

10904-427: The investigation. The "Copy, Paste, Legislate" investigation uncovered a legal initiative by the car industry to enact laws that would require dealers to disclose if a bought used car were under open recall, something most states do not require. The car industry's initiative was in response to other legal initiatives that called for banning the sales of used cars under open recall entirely. The first bill produced by

11020-417: The late 20th century has been regulated by the government to increase transparency and establish a set of ethics for both lobbyists, and those who will be lobbied. Canada does not require disclosure of lobbyist spending on lobbying activities. The first step towards specialized regulation of lobbying in the European Union was a Written Question tabled by Alman Metten, in 1989. In 1991, Marc Galle, Chairman of

11136-409: The law. Pressure from various lobbies led to the deletion of several important provisions. For example, due to pressure from pharmacists, the sale of Band C drugs in supermarkets and parapharmacies was skipped. Other provisions removed include the portability of pension funds, the sale of boxes or garages worth less than one hundred thousand euros without a notarized deed, the protected energy market, and

11252-584: The lobbying firm Bespoke Approach, along with former Labor minister Nick Bolkus and Ian Smith , who is married to former Australian Democrats leader, Natasha Stott-Despoja . Peter Costello carried two former staffers to work with him in his lobbying firm, ECG Consulting: Jonathan Epstein and David Gazard. Politicians can become exposed to allegations of conflicts of interest when they both lobby and advise governments. Examples include Peter Costello. Political party staff often form lobbying firms or dominate their ranks. Former Howard chief-of-staff Grahame Morris

11368-641: The lobbying industry in New Zealand, allowing politicians and Parliamentary staffers to immediately become lobbyists after leaving office. Kris Faafoi joined a lobbying firm just three months after leaving Parliament, where he had been justice and broadcasting minister. Lobbyists also move directly into staffer positions. Gordon-Jon Thompson took a leave of absence from his lobbying firm to work as chief of staff to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for four months before returning to his lobbying firm. Andrew Kirton resigned from his lobbying company on 31 January 2023 and

11484-530: The lobbying profession was an established part of the democratic political process in Canberra. Warhurst attests that by 2018, "political leader-lobbyists" were an established part of the same process. During the 1980s, political leaders traded on their own names, like Bob Hawke , or joined the "respectable" end of the lobbying spectrum, working for law firms or banks, like former New South Wales premiers Nick Greiner and Bob Carr . In 2008, Alexander Downer formed

11600-565: The lobbyist register is that it only captures professional third-party lobbyists, not employees of companies which directly lobby government. An example of this is BHP, which employs Geoff Walsh, a key advisor to Bob Hawke as an in-house lobbyist. In 2022, The Mercury published a complete list of lobbyists registered at the Tasmanian Parliament. The field was dominated by former politicians, advisers and journalists in 2016. In December 2022, Bahrain's lobbying efforts reflected in

11716-428: The methods used in lobbying against public health: Efforts to prevent noncommunicable diseases go against the business interests of powerful economic operators. In my view, this is one of the biggest challenges facing health promotion. [...] it is not just Big Tobacco anymore. Public health must also contend with Big Food, Big Soda, and Big Alcohol. All of these industries fear regulation, and protect themselves by using

11832-513: The past two years has had, more than $ 250,000 in contracts with the city. Candidates are now additionally prohibited from accepting contributions from people who have spent $ 5,000 lobbying the city within the past 12 months. Furthermore, various reporting and compliance standards were implemented by the law. Measure I-122 increased the brackets for candidate income disclosures, moving the top bracket from "above $ 25,000" to "above $ 5,000,000". I-122 also mandates that paid signature gatherers must display

11948-499: The political spectrum," and is supported by reform organizations such as Represent.Us , which advocate for the passage of local, state, and federal laws modeled after the AACA. It is designed to limit or outlaw practices perceived to be major contributors to political corruption. Its provisions cover three areas: The AACA's authors state that its provisions are based on existing laws that have withstood court challenges, and are therefore constitutional. The American Anti-Corruption Act

12064-408: The preferred position of their constituency when there is more special interest money and less attention to politics. That architectural sense of lobby is believed to originate from the medieval Latin lobia or lobium , which refers to a gallery, hall, or portico. This architectural sense was later adopted to describe the practice of advocating or debating in such spaces. In a report carried by

12180-804: The referendum's passage, and lowered the acceptable value of political contributions to city candidates to $ 250 per donor. The initiative passed with the support of a politically diverse coalition of local advocates, including the Chair of the Florida Tea Party Network, the former President of the Florida League of Women Voters, and the Chairman of Florida Common Cause. On November 3, 2015, voters in San Francisco passed Proposition C with 74.83% approval. The Proposition, put on

12296-771: The responsibility for harm to health on individuals, and portray government actions as interference in personal liberties and free choice. This is formidable opposition. [...] When industry is involved in policy-making, rest assured that the most effective control measures will be downplayed or left out entirely. This, too, is well documented, and dangerous. In the view of WHO, the formulation of health policies must be protected from distortion by commercial or vested interests. Lobbying can be categorized as inside lobbying, which directly interacts with decision-makers, or outside lobbying, which pressures decision-makers through mobilization of public opinion. In pre-modern political systems, royal courts provided incidental opportunities for gaining

12412-456: The revolving door) who possess inside knowledge of the EU institutions and policy process. This practice of hiring former EU employees is part of what lobbyist Andreas Geiger describes as lobbying's vital role in shaping law and decision-making processes, given the unique insights and access these individuals provide. A report by Transparency International EU published in January 2017 analysed

12528-434: The same tactics. Research has documented these tactics well. They include front groups, lobbies, promises of self-regulation, lawsuits, and industry-funded research that confuses the evidence and keeps the public in doubt. Tactics also include gifts, grants, and contributions to worthy causes that cast these industries as respectable corporate citizens in the eyes of politicians and the public. They include arguments that place

12644-547: The scope of lobbying, who could undertake it, or the extent of disclosure necessary. Companies are not mandated to disclose their activities and lobbyists are neither authorized nor encouraged to reveal the names of clients or public officials they have contacted. The distinction between lobbying and bribery still remains unclear. In 2012, Walmart revealed it had spent $ 25 million since 2008 on lobbying to "enhance market access for investment in India". This disclosure came weeks after

12760-519: The scope of the Transparency Register "-database of the EU. The European allies were being lobbied by the UAE and Saudi Arabia to regain the diplomatic ties with the Syrian government. The two Arab countries lobbied the European Union for months, pushing them to ease the sanctions on Syria for the revival of its collapsed economy. The UAE and its neighbour country argued that without

12876-538: The sources of their funding. Communications to voters that are related to county elections must disclose their "five largest true original sources of funding (in excess of $ 500) for the communication." On December 14, 2016, the City Council of Portland, Oregon, approved a small-donor matching program, dubbed Open and Accountable Elections. The program allows city candidates who qualify to have their donations matched by public funds. The first $ 50 will be matched 6:1 by

12992-574: Was analyzed. It is hypothesized that some companies are more likely to advertise on Mediaset channels when Berlusconi is in power, indicating a potential correlation between advertising behavior and political influence. A model of the Italian television advertising market was developed, distinguishing between regulated firms (interested in government actions) and unregulated firms (less interested in specific public policy changes). The model predicts that advertising prices on Mediaset increase when Berlusconi

13108-540: Was drafted by the Washington, D.C.-based Automotive Trade Association Executives (ATAE), representing over 100 "executives from regional auto dealer associations". The bill allowed dealers to continue selling recalled cars as long as they disclosed open recalls. The dealers worked with over 600 lobbyists in 43 states to assist in getting the legislation passed. From 2014 through 2019, lawmakers in eleven states introduced similar bills into their state legislatures. The libertarian Arizona-based Goldwater Institute , drafted

13224-410: Was supposedly used by President Ulysses S. Grant to describe the political advocates who frequented the hotel's lobby to access Grant—who was often there in the evenings to enjoy a cigar and brandy—and then tried to buy the president drinks in an attempt to influence his political decisions. Although the term may have gained more widespread currency in Washington, D.C., by virtue of this practice during

13340-479: Was unconstitutional and violated single-subject law . On February 2, 2017, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard signed House Bill 1069, effectively repealing IM-22. Because HB 1069 was signed with an emergency clause, it prevented IM-22 from returning to the ballot. On March 10, 2017, Governor Daugaard signed into effect five bills he claimed were meant to replace concepts from IM-22: HB 1073, which restricts lobbyist gifts to legislators; HB 1076, which establishes

13456-483: Was written "in consultation with political strategists, democracy reform leaders, and constitutional attorneys from across the political spectrum." Co-authors include former Republican FEC commissioner Trevor Potter , Harvard professor and activist Lawrence Lessig , Theodore Roosevelt IV , and Represent.Us director Josh Silver . The Act was unveiled in 2012. The stated goal of the Anti-Corruption Act

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