Chapter 11: Interest Groups

Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007

-"Cooling off Period" -Former Reps. must wait a year before registering as a lobbyist -Former Senators and executive officials must wait two years before registering as a lobbyist

1946 Regulation of Lobbying Act

-Defines lobbyist as one who's principal purpose is to influence legislation -Registration required of lobbyists -Disclosure required of lobbyist's employer, finances, and legislation to be influenced.

Lobbyist Disclosure Act (1995)

-Required lobbyists to register if influencing congressional members, congressional staffers, and executive agencies -Disclose information on members, activities, and finances

Which of the following scenarios is most closely related to the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission?

A labor union spends millions of dollars to independently run negative advertisements about a presidential candidate shortly before the election.

Ethics in Government Act (1978)

Created mandatory public disclosure of financial and employment history of public officials and their immediate families.

PETA urges its members to take action in support of animal friendly legislation through their website. In addition to providing information about important issues that legislators may vote on, the nonprofit organization also describes the best ways to contact a legislator and tips on how best to interact with lawmakers. Which of the following is being illustrated in the scenario?

Interest groups sometimes form around a narrow set of issues with the goal of impacting policy making.

There is an ongoing debate over the role of money in elections. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 banned soft money and restricted advertisements in the weeks before an election. Parts of this act were challenged and struck down in the Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Which of the following was a consequence of that ruling?

Super PACs may spend unlimited funds on advertisements that are not coordinated with the campaign because they are protected by the freedom of speech.

Lobbyists try to influence legislators mainly through...

providing legislators with information on technical issues