Sunlight Foundation proposes Web-based lobbying registry

On the campaign trail, President Obama promised to increase the transparency of government. Among the pledges he made was to create a centralized database on lobbying.

The Sunlight Foundation has proposed something similar, saying the executive branch should create and administer a website aggregating disclosures of meetings between government officials and lobbyists.

Under the Sunlight vision, meetings between executive branch political appointees and lobbyists would be posted on the site after each meeting is held. In the filings would be the names of the agency, the employees that attended the meeting, the lobbyist whom the government official met with and any clients the lobbyist represents. The site would also allow the public to track the meetings by lobbyist, subject matter, agency and official.

"We think the president is headed in the right direction: more real time, online disclosure of lobbying activity," said Sunlight Foundation Policy Director John Wonderlich in a statement. "Imagine having this sort of information from across the federal government right now -- being able to track who lobbying, and what each of those discussions is about."

Sunlight is also urging both Congress and the administration to expand the legal definition of a lobbyist to include anyone paid to engage in direct issue advocacy with lawmakers, staff and executive branch officials. Currently, the law only requires individuals who spend more than 20 percent of their time lobbying for a client, and who also make more than two contacts with executive branch or congressional officials to register to lobby. Anyone who is below that threshold, doesn't have to register.

James Thurber, a professor of government at American University, called the Sunlight proposal a "terrific idea." Thurber has long argued that there are thousands of people in Washington connected to advocacy who operate under the radar because they aren't required to register to lobby.

Last week a coalition of lobbyist, advocacy, and watchdog groups wrote a letter to White House officials, challenging Obama's new order which restricts the way in which registered lobbyists may communicate with administration officials regarding the stimulus.

The directive prohibits administration officials from talking to registered lobbyists in person or on the phone about specific stimulus projects. Lobbyists may put their requests in writing and those comments then are to be posted online. They may also talk directly to administration officials, but only about "general policy."