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.