Craig Holman: Evolution of the U.S. Lobbying Disclosure Act: Where We Are Now and Where We Need to Go

The Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Respekt institut invite you to a seminar by

Craig Holman, PhD.

on the theme of the 

"Evolution of the U.S. Lobbying Disclosure Act: Where We Are Now and Where We Need to Go"

About Craig Holman

Craig Holman is a Government Affairs Lobbyist for Public Citizen, a leading organization promoting U.S. government transparency. Holman is a widely recognized scholar and advocate in the U.S. in both lobbying reform and campaign finance reform. Previously, he was Senior Policy Analyst at the Brennan Center for Justice, New York University School of Law.  

Abstract of the Seminar

The United States has struggled for more than half a century in trying to develop an effective system of regulating the profession of lobbying that does not overly burden the constitutional right to petition the government. This is an ongoing work-in-progress.

It was only in the mid-1990s that the United States learned from mistakes made in the past and finally began to institute an effective lobbying regulatory regime. What has evolved thus far is often seen as setting the standard for transparency with regard to lobbyist influence peddling. Of all the shortcomings of the American system of lobbying regulation - and there are many - lack of transparency is not, for the most part, one of them.

Holman will identify the mistakes made in the past, explain how many of these mistakes have been corrected, and discuss the shortcomings that remain. He will also review findings of a survey of lobbyist attitudes toward regulation in both the United States and Europe for indications of the type of regulations acceptable to professional lobbyists.

The seminar will take place Thursday, May 12 at 10am, in the Academic Conference Centre (AKC), address: Husova 4, Prague 1

For more information, contact Michael L. Smith at michael.smith@soc.cas.cz.