Lobbyist Registration and Disclosure
For many years, the Committee of Seventy has spoken out on the need for Philadelphia to lose its distinction as the largest city in the country without any law regulating lobbyists or their expenditures. In 2007, Seventy issued an Ethics Agenda to all candidates for mayor and City Council asking them to pledge to enact a lobbyist registration and disclosure ordinance. We testified in support of a city lobbying ordinance before the Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform – which was created in response to Seventy’s 2007 Ethics Agenda – in 2009. We also urged City Council to pass a proposed lobbying ordinance at its public hearing in 2010. Seventy sought these reforms not because Seventy believes that lobbying is bad. Instead, we believe that the public has a right to know who is paying to have issues presented to our public officials.
Seventy's Testifies on Proposed Regulation No. 9 - City Lobbying Ordinance (June 15, 2011)
The Committee of Seventy appeared before the Philadelphia Board of Ethics to testify about proposed Regulation No. 9. Seventy expressed concern about ambiguities in the ordinance and regulation, and to help the Ethics Board ensure that they are fair, reasonable, enforceable and clear – and result in bringing greater transparency and accountability to the way in which business is done in Philadelphia.
Please click here to read the Committee of Seventy's testimonyPhiladelphia Board of Ethics Proposed Regulation No. 9
Download draft of proposed Regulation No. 9