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Obama came to office pledging to curtail the sway of
lobbyists and banned lobbyists from serving on such panels,
which guide government policy on a range of topics ranging from
cancer to towing safety.
The president said he was doing so because the voices of paid
representatives of interest groups were drowning out the views
of ordinary citizens.
But many lobbyists felt they were being unfairly tarred by
Obama's campaign to keep them out of public service. A lawsuit
challenging the ban was initially dismissed, but a District of
Columbia Circuit Court in January reinstated it.
A spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and
Budget said the administration was revising its earlier guidance
on lobbyists serving on federal advisory panels to clarify that
lobbyists may now serve on such panels when they are
representing the views of a particular group.
There are more than 1,000 federal advisory committees.
The head of a lobbying industry trade group called the change a
positive step that will allow the government to draw on the
expertise of people whose experience can be beneficial in making
policy.
"We’re basically going back to allowing federally registered
lobbyists to participate in these committees," said Monte Ward,
the president of the Association of Government Relations
Professionals.
The revision will affect the ability of numerous lobbyists who
would like to serve on advisory committees, said a lawyer for
the plaintiffs in the case, Charles Rothfeld, of Mayer Brown.
"It is a significant change," he said.
(Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Bernard Orr)
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