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ERIC Number: EJ808744
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Aug-1
Pages: 1
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-5982
EISSN: N/A
New Rules, More Scrutiny for Colleges and Their Lobbyists
Field, Kelly
Chronicle of Higher Education, v54 n47 pA14 Aug 2008
This article reports that new federal ethics rules are creating headaches for colleges--and heartburn for their lobbyists. The rules, enacted last year in the wake of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, require colleges and lobbyists to report their political contributions and certify that they have complied with a new ban on gifts to members of Congress. Colleges and lobbyists must also report how much money they have spent on events honoring members of Congress and certain federal officials. With the deadline for filing the first of the semiannual reports set for July 30, colleges have been scrambling to track down receipts and educate their employees about the new rules. The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (PL 110-81), signed into law last year, added some teeth to the rules. The new law requires the Government Accountability Office to audit the reports annually and refer problems to Congress. College officials and lobbyists who fail to file, or who "knowingly and willfully" file false information, face fines of up to $200,000--four times the previous maximum--and up to five years' jail time. It is also much easier for members of the news media and interest groups to review the reports, which are now published in searchable form on the Web sites of the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and the secretary of the Senate.
Chronicle of Higher Education. 1255 23rd Street NW Suite 700, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 800-728-2803; e-mail: circulation@chronicle.com; Web site: http://chronicle.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A