In survey, lobbyists complain about effects of open government law

From The Blog of Legal Times:

In the aftermath of sweeping federal lobbying legislation that became law in 2007, few lobbyists are convinced that the statute made their colleagues more ethical and improved government.

These doubts about the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act are among several concerns lobbyists shared in a survey (PDF/1.8 MB) released Wednesday by The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, research firm Lobbyists.info and market research firm ORI. Not only do less than 21 percent of lobbyists say governance is better and ethical standards for lobbying have improved since 2007, but more than half say their job is more difficult. The survey included responses from 865 lobbyists.

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GW adjunct professor David Rehr, who was the survey's lead researcher, said many lobbyists appear to see the statute as "a barrier to being successful."