The Badger Herald: News: Lawmakers target lobbyist deception

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Lawmakers target lobbyist deception

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Also by Peter Kourkouvis:

Lawmakers want foreign languages (February 1, 2008)
2007 sees fewest legislative actions since Doyle took office (December 5, 2007)
Lawmakers target lobbyist deception (November 16, 2007)
Doyle calls for speedy budget (October 10, 2007)
Legislators discuss Safe Climate Act (September 26, 2007)

By Peter Kourkouvis
Friday, November 16, 2007 2:38 a.m.

1 Vote 0 Votes

State legislators introduced a bill Wednesday tailored to prevent the misrepresentation of their constituents’ views by special interest groups.

Rep. Joe Parisi, D-Madison, Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts, D-Middleton and Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, presented the Truth in Lobbying Act in response to actions taken by TV4US lobbying for support of the cable competition bill currently under consideration in the Wisconsin state Senate.

The media industry group presented binders that included the names of people supposedly in support of the cable competition bill.

When it was discovered that many of the people listed in the binders did not actually commit their support to the industry group’s cause, state legislators expressed their concern.

Among the names included in the binders was Pope-Roberts, who was surprised she was listed as a proponent of the cable competition bill.

“Obviously, I didn’t lobby myself to support a bill I opposed and voted against,” Pope-Roberts said.

If passed, the Truth in Lobbying Act will assure special interest groups that misrepresent people’s opinions toward their elected representatives are penalized.

For Pope-Roberts, this bill is necessary to establish trust between state legislators and special interest groups and to safeguard their constituents’ rights to accurate representation of their opinions.

“Lawmakers need this legislation in order to trust organizations purporting to represent the opinion of our constituents, and our constituents need to know that we will protect their rights in expressing opinions,” Pope-Roberts said.

According to Pope-Roberts, public response to the issue was great, as constituents were curious to see if their names were included on the lists. She said lobbying organizations would have difficulty opposing the proposed bill, as misrepresenting constituents’ opinions “makes the organization look dishonest and unethical.”

Wide bipartisan acceptance of the bill is expected, as there is little argument about the integrity of its purpose. Rep. Steve Wieckert, R-Appleton, said the bill is “certainly going to receive bipartisan support,” as it attempts to guarantee “high ethics and high

accountability in government.”

“People appreciate openness and honesty in government,” Wieckert said. “I think right now [the bill] is very well-intentioned.”

Wieckert noted organizations like the Wisconsin Ethics Board are already in place to inform state representatives of the interest groups that are lobbying for and against any particular bill. The new bill, he added, would add to the measures being taken to prevent misunderstandings between lobbyists and legislators.

Wieckert does warn of negative, unintended consequences that sometimes arise from bills such as the Truth in Lobbying Act, but gave no specifics.

The consensus among representatives, Wieckert added, is that the bill will curtail misuse of information by lobbyists trying to rally support for their interests.

As for the actual actions of misrepresentation by the industry group, Wieckert said he believes “[their actions] ought to be illegal."

"It’s undemocratic to do so and it should be punishable by law,” Wieckert said.

1 Comment | Leave a comment

Anonymous | November 16, 2007 11:14 AM | Reply

What about a “Truth In Legislating” Bill? Ms. Pope-Roberts is my assemblywoman and I consistently hear her speak about how she “represents” her district. Well, with the way she is voting for higher taxes, she certainly isn’t speaking for or representing me!

What a farce. Another unneeded bill to distract the public from the fact that nothing is going on in the Legislature. Roberts and Parisi have no real agenda to move the state forward. This is just an excuse to send out a press release.