SEIU’s Andy Stern Union Boss or Illegal Lobbyist?

Last night Glenn Beck focused on the ties between Service Employee International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern and the White House and the resulting effects on public policy.  As the White House Visitor logs released last month make clear, Mr. Stern was the most frequent White House visitor.  Now the great team at BigGovernment.com has raised another angle about the visits.  Could they have constituted federal lobbying subject to the LDA (Lobbying Disclosure Act)?  Moreover, it also appears that the White House hasn’t lived up to the spirit of its claims about limiting the influence of high powered lobbyists.  It seems all anyone has to do to avoid being barred is to just refuse to register as a lobbyist.

During the first calendar quarter of 2009, Mr. Stern went to the White House on 11 separate days, including twice on February 18.  In the second calendar quarter, Mr. Stern visited on 9 days, and twice on April 13 for a total of 10 visits.  Since White House personnel, including the President and Vice President, are considered “covered” officials under LDA, all of Mr. Stern’s communications with them during these 22 visits covering 20 days would constitute “lobbying contacts.”  The time spent at the White House also constitutes “lobbying activity” time which must be captured for determining whether Mr. Stern spent more than 20% of his time during any calendar quarter engaged in lobbying.

Failure to file accurate reports or to register under LDA is a violation of the Act, which provides for civil penalties of up to $200,000 and criminal penalties of up to 5 years in prison.  Reports must be filed electronically with the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate.  Responsibility for enforcement of the Act rests with the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, under 2 U.S.C. 1605.  In addition, the Government Accountability Office is required under the LDA to conduct random audits of filers.

Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) have formally contacted the office of the US Attorney for the District of Columbia asking for an investigation into whether Mr. Stern has broken the law.  Mr. Stern, it appears the ball is in your court.

Here’s the link to Big.Government.com.