May 1, 2009  

MEDIA CONTACT: Thai Phi Stone
202-994-6424; tpstone@gwu.edu            

LEGISLATING LOBBYISTS
MAY 5, 2009

Panel Weighs the Right to Petition Versus the Need for Restrictions

EVENT:  

How can legislators and executive branch officials craft government policies toward lobbyists? What limitations are appropriate? Does lobbying fit within the Constitution's First Amendment right to petition the government for the redress of grievances? A wide range of administration officials, public interest groups, representatives from Capitol Hill, the press and members of the lobbying community will address these questions as part of The Forum on Ethics and Leadership in Public Life, sponsored by The George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. The forum will also focus on the media's coverage and criticism of lobbyists' role in American democracy.

WHO:  

Norman Eisen, President Barack Obama's Special White House Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform will be a featured speaker. Other confirmed panelists include Howard Paster, co-chair, GW Graduate School of Political Management Council on American Politics; Al Hunt, Bloomberg News; Bob Edgar, Common Cause; Butler Derrick, former Congressman from South Carolina; Joel Jankowsky, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; Dave Wenhold, American League of Lobbyists; Jonathan Turley, professor, GW Law School; Steven Roberts, professor, GW School of Media and Public Affairs; Leo Wise, Office of Congressional Ethics; Ellen Miller, Sunlight Foundation; Melanie Sloan, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington; and Ron Christie, Christie Strategies. Other guests may be added.

WHEN:  

Tuesday, May 5, 2009; 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: 

The George Washington University
Media and Public Affairs Building  
Jack Morton Auditorium
805 21st Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20052
Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro Station (Orange and Blue lines)

RSVP:  

This event is free and open to the public. RSVP to theethicsforum@gmail.com with your name, affiliation, e-mail address and phone number. Members of the media interested in attending should contact Thai Phi Stone at tpstone@gwu.edu or 202-994-6424.  

BACKGROUND:

Both presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain focused a significant amount of attention on the role of lobbyists and their potentially corrupting influence on the policy making process. Since taking office, President Obama has severely restricted the ability of lobbyists to be appointed to positions in the administration and limited employment possibilities in the lobbying arena for former administration officials.

In addition to the Obama administration, the press has also been a source of much criticism of lobbying. A string of egregious corruption scandals surrounding the lobbying community has led the media to question how lobbying is conducted, and their coverage and commentary has only intensified during the new administration. The forum will explore why more attention is now being focused on lobbying and whether it has been objective or biased.

Through a series of discussion colloquia, The Forum on Ethics and Leadership in Public Life at The George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management will explore ethical issues affecting those who work in political and public service. Bringing together prominent individuals from public life with faculty, advisors and students of school, the forum will bring to the forefront issues of ethics and professional responsibility in politics to stimulate greater understanding of and thought about the serious dilemmas facing American democracy. It also will explore both systemic and institutional problems and the behavior of individuals who work professionally in all aspects of public life. The Forum on Ethics and Leadership in Public Life is funded in part by the Paul O'Dwyer Fund for Ethics in Politics, a gift of Brian J. O'Dwyer.

GW's Graduate School of Political Management offers graduate programs in political management, legislative affairs, public relations and PAC management, as well as international programs in Latin America and Europe. The school seeks to improve politics by educating students and professionals about the tools, principles and values of participatory democracy; preparing them for careers as ethical and effective advocates and leaders at the international, national and local levels.

For more information about The Graduate School of Political Management, visit www.gspm.gwu.edu.
For more news about The George Washington University, visit www.gwnewscenter.org.

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