Summary: Proposed legislation before Congress, the Revolving Door Sunshine Act of 1993 (H.R. 1593), would require public disclosure of all contacts that former Members of Congress and senior federal workers have with high-ranking public officials for up to five years after they leave office. GAO testified that existing statutes and regulations fall short in adequately identifying all contacts between former government officials and either Congress or the executive branch. As a result, GAO could not provide data on how many former Members of Congress and senior government employees have contacted either Congress or the executive branch about official actions during the last three years. GAO also could not break down the extent to which such contacts involved either the legislative or executive branches. GAO supports strengthening the lobbying statutes. One criticism of the existing lobbying requirements is that they are a patchwork approach to the problem. Other bills now before Congress also seek to strengthen the lobbying laws. In GAO's view, the more consistently that H.R. 1593 meshes with the objectives of current law and other proposed improvements, the more likely its aims will be achieved.
