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12-29-2011, 04:36 PM #1
Lobbying: Where rights and rules can clash
11alive.com
Written by
Doug Richards
6:16 PM, Dec 29, 2011
Video at source link
ATLANTA -- Best known as an uncompromising foe of illegal immigration, DA King has a lesser known title: Capitol lobbyist. The ethics commission web site shows that he's among the 1,200-plus lobbyists who've paid a $300 yearly fee for the privilege of trying to shape the viewpoints of lawmakers.
Yet King has been among those lobbyists tagged as a scofflaw. The state ethics commission handles countless complaints against lobbyists. King says he faced a baseless charge that he lobbied without properly registering.
"People like myself who come down here essentially at their own expense and on donations and end up losing money every year, I don't believe, should be in the same category as somebody who is coming down here and spreading around hundreds of thousands of dollars every year," King said.
Anybody can show up at the Capitol to try to talk to lawmakers. It's protected in the Bill of Rights, in language that talks about petitioning the government. But the state of Georgia limits that right when the petitioner is paid to do it.
"So basically, people who are paid to lobby have to register," said Debbie Seagraves, executive director of ACLU Georgia.
The ACLU also has lobbyists at the Capitol. And it too, has been charged with skirting the law by failing to register its lobbyists. One such complaint was dismissed this month.
"What we have to do is hit the happy middle that doesn't impede anyone's ability to access their own elected official," said Seagraves. "Nothing should impede your access to your elected officials."
On paper, it's all about equal access. Yet in a world where paid lobbyists dominate, equal access isn't always equal.
D.A. King, at the Georgia Capitol December 29, 2011
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