By Eric Margulies, VoterWatch

On May 24, 2007, Congress passed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. For many, the bill signifies the government’s movement toward more citizen access and government transparency. While the bill certainly poses a victory to the open government community, its overall impact must be properly assessed, as valid criticisms can surely be posed.

Beginning at the end of July 2008, lobbyists will have to disclose campaign contributions, which include contributions made through a political action committee owned or controlled by the lobby, lawmaker honorary expenses, expenses for meetings with lawmakers, and donations to presidential libraries.

The bill also disallows former senators and executive branch officials from lobbying Congress for at least two years after leaving their elected positions; former House members must wait only one year.

These developments undoubtedly show the increasing support that the notion of open government is getting amongst members of the legislative branch. These changes also pave the way for unprecedented transparency that will enable citizens to see the machinations of what was previously known as “backroom politics.”

This transparency will logically lead to further accountability on the part of lobbies, which may considerably decrease the incestuous cronyism that tends to permeate the political system. The bill itself says that it will work towards “closing of the revolving door.”

While Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 was clearly the right move, the bill isn’t without its faults. To begin, there are concerns about just how much transparency this bill can provide, as questions surround loopholes and the required frequency of reporting. On the Sunlight blogs, Ellen Miller recently questioned the provision that requires lobbyists to file only two times each year:

“I was struck by the lack of timeliness of these new reports. Being filed only twice a year raises the question: how much transparency will these forms actually provide? With all the online tools we have access to today, why not have instantaneous disclosure? Why wait six months, when the money changing hands is affecting legislation being written today? It seems to me that this new requirement will give us some more information about the role of the power lobbyist, it does little to deal with the most critical problem - the timeliness of reporting.”

When the July 30^th deadline for filing passes, some of the questions regarding the bill will likely be answered and a few new questions may also arise. Many Americans see lobbying as one of the many symbols of government corruption and sketchy politics.

Simply speaking, the word conjures up images of unfair patronage and back room deals being made in smoky rooms somewhere not far from K Street. However, if this bill does as it promises or simply sets into motion a chain of events leading to further disclosure, the popular conception of lobbies as insider-only political machines may be drastically altered.