IEC Journal

Lobbyists sue Federal Govt over ban on Advisory Committees

Lobbyists who were serving or sought to serve, but were banned from federal advisory committees by the Obama administration, are suing the government to reverse the ban on their service on grounds that it violates the First Amendment. All plaintiffs were up or served on the Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITAC), which are jointly managed by the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. 

Read the full The Hill article at http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/210439-lobbyists-sue-obama-after-being-booted-from-boards 

Lobbyists sue Federal Govt over ban on Advisory Committees

Lobbyists who were serving or sought to serve, but were banned from federal advisory committees by the Obama administration, are suing the government to reverse the ban on their service on grounds that it violates the First Amendment. All plaintiffs were up or served on the Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITAC), which are jointly managed by the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. 

Read the full The Hill article at http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/210439-lobbyists-sue-obama-after-being-booted-from-boards 

Industry Liaisons Raise Questions at FDA

POGO questions why "voting members of the FDA panel, including its chairperson, turned out to have prior relationships with Bayer or a company that markets a generic equivalent of Yaz and Yasmin. In one case, the ties involved thousands of dollars in fees, while some of the other panel members had conducted research funded by Bayer or the generic manufacturer. The four all voted in favor of the Bayer pills and related contraceptives, tipping the balance.

Advisory Committee Reform Bill Advances

The Project on Government Oversight praises the "Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2011" (H.R. 3124), which would "close these loopholes and ensure that committees are operating under a 21st-century disclosure regime." POGO suggests further improvements, including distribution of audio/videotapes of advisory committee meetings.

New Rule Limits Lobbyist Appointments

The Federal Register notice linked below implements the President's June 18, 2010 memorandum ‘‘Lobbyists on Agency Boards and Commissions.’’ That memo directed agencies and departments in the Executive  Branch not to appoint or re-appoint federally registered lobbyists to advisory committees and other boards and commissions.

 Download Lobbyists-OMB-Guidance-100511