Politico.com , Jeff Patch

March 5, 2007

Brian Pallasch, the new president of the American League of Lobbyists, is taking the helm of an industry that's navigating stormy waters. The turbulence began three years ago when a scandal involving then-Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and lobbyist Jack Abramoff surfaced. Their activities tarnished the image of the 30,000-plus government affairs professionals and gradually helped the Democrats take over Capitol Hill. The new Congress has since taken a slow series of slaps at lobbyists in the form of restricting how they do business

Brian Pallasch

Pallasch's main assignment is to take some of the sting out of those slaps and make sure members of Congress pass effective changes instead of reactionary measures ridden with loopholes. He and other officials at ALL worry that the changes could create new problems, such as a reliance on campaign contributions for access, and say more disclosure is a better solution.

He said the members could reform the disclosure process by requiring all lobbyists register electronically and also making public entities such as cities and universities register in accordance with lobbying regulations.

"The right to petition the government is guaranteed in the Constitution," Pallasch said. "Upfront. Towards the top, shall we say ... Part of the goal of Congress is that they want sunshine in the process: who's doing it and what are they spending. If you exempt certain groups or actions, then you're not really getting an entire picture of that."

Pallasch isn't happy with how Congress is handling lobbying reform bills. When Congress addressed the issue for the the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, members pored over the possible effects of the bill, he recalled. The results were successful in forcing thousands of lobbyists to register. In contrast, he said, the current Congress is pushing legislation through with little regard for debate.

"Brian's biggest challenge is going to be getting members from both sides to listen to us about how to bring about positive change," said his predecessor, Paul Miller. "Regardless of what you think of the rules, they worked. Everybody that broke them is going to prison."

Pallasch's new position with ALL is not full time; the 42-year-old also is director of government relations for the American Society of Civil Engineers. ALL's officers serve as volunteers for the 900-member organization. Traditionally, the president has served a second year-long term, and Pallasch says he wants to boost the rolls of the group to about 1,000 by the time his term ends.

In his volunteer work, Pallasch faces a demanding membership base: lobbyists who know a thing or two about lobbying.

"We have lobbyists lobbying for lobbyists, and people laugh at that," Miller said. "Members are skeptical of you. But those that have a real interest in seeing the reforms work will listen to you."

As president of ALL, Pallasch also is pushing hard to highlight the organization's code of ethics.

"This is a profession regardless of what people want to call it or say about it," he said. "The league does not represent every lobbyist, however."

He brings a unique perspective to ALL. As the head of a small trade association, he projects a different image than a hired gun.

"The reality is my job is my daytime job," Pallasch said. "What I get paid for is to make sure that the views and concerns of the civil engineering profession are shared with the Congress. We have 100,000-plus members, and they can't all be in Washington, D.C., so I am."

Pallasch, who is married with two children, has never been an engineer. But he must understand the details of the profession, which focuses on transportation, dams, national hazards and infrastructure security, to represent his members' interests before Congress.

"In some regards, I became a translator," he said.

On ethics and lobbying reform, he's counting on Congress to speak his language.