Summary: The proposed bill S. 1785 would eliminate most of the ineffectiveness of the present Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act. Various threshold tests would define the organizations that must register and report as lobbyists and the information they must disclose. The most important provisions of the bill for eliminating weaknesses in the present law deal with enforcement. The Comptroller General would have investigatory authority and limited authority to go to court to enforce subpoenas and orders and to correct apparent civil violations of the law by informal methods of conference and conciliation. Vesting civil enforcement powers in the Comptroller General will not only place the enforcement of the legislative branch's information gathering power within the legislative branch where it should be but will also eliminate potential conflict between the Comptroller General and the Attorney General, who would retain authority for any criminal prosecution. S. 1785 should be amended to authorize the Comptroller General to defend advisory opinions and to initiate civil enforcement action unhampered by a 60-day waiting period. (DJM)
