14% of US Lobbyists Fail to Disclose Past Gov't Jobs - GAO

Some 14 percent of lobbyists seeking to influence the US Congress and federal agencies failed to disclose previously held positions in the legislative and executive branches in violation of legal requirements, the US Government Accountability Office found in a report.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Spending on lobbying to influence the Congress and federal agencies has increased nearly 50 percent over the past ten years, from $2.2 billion in 2004 to 3.2 billion in 2014, according to Open Secrets at the Center for Responsive Politics, which monitors the influence of money on politics.

“14 percent of all LD-2 (lobbying disclosure) reports did not properly disclose one or more previously held covered positions (certain positions in the executive and legislative branches) as required,” the GAO said on Thursday.

The Lobbying Disclosure Act requires lobbyists in the United States to disclose previous positions in the executive and legislative branches in quarterly filings.

The 2014 percentage is slightly lower than the disclosure failure levels over the past four years, according to the GAO.