Reform Groups Applaud White House's Stance On Lobbyist Influence

The White House touted the release of a report card compiled by a number of reform groups praising the Obama administration for steps taken to reduce lobbyists’ influence.

“The president has worked constantly to ensure that his administration is the most accessible and accountable in history,” said Norman Eisen, the Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform, during a conference call with reporters Monday.

The report card, which was a joint-effort by the organizations U.S. PIRG, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters and Democracy 21, gives Obama a solid A on policies intended to bar former lobbyists from joining the staff and preventing former aides from lobbying the White House after leaving.

Obama also receives three Bs in areas relating to lobbyists serving on advisory boards and issuing gifts.

“The new rules and policies have begun the difficult process of changing the way business is done in Washington,” the report card states.

Many Things To Like About House Health Bill Says Reform Advocate

Travis Martinez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Following the release of the House Democrats' health care reform bill, Larry McNeely with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group expressed his support for the legislation.

McNeely said that he believes the House version is strong in that it will develop a national health insurance exchange that will allow customers throughout the nation to negotiate better health care rates for themselves.

“Our hope is that in conference, it leans more towards the house bill [that] is going to be a national exchange, which is important because attached to the exchange is a pool of all participants in that exchange to negotiate better deals. This pool is going to be a lot bigger nationally,” said McNeely.

McNeely lauded the House's inclusion of a public option, or government-run insurance plan, which, in his opinion, will "[provide] a competitor for states with one or two providers that dominate the insurance markets.”

He also delighted over a provision in the bill that would ban the private insurance industry from dropping patients or refusing coverage to them based on their having a preexisting medical condition.

“It’s really an incredible step forward. Not only does the...bill ban preexisting conditions abuses...consumers and families can finally have the security of knowing their insurance will be there when they expect to,” said McNeely.

Toxic toys

As the holiday season rapidly approaches, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) warns that due to recent decisions by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), toys that parent's purchase this Christmas may be less than safe.

Following a wave of recalls in 2007, Congress passed legislation that gave CPSC more resources to ensure product safety. However, while the legislation stated that companies would have to cease selling toys containing toxic phthalates by February 10th, 2009, the CPSC published a legal opinion informing manufacturers that they will be allowed to sell these products until their inventory run out.

"Unfortunately, while the product safety bill is a major step forward, many of it's protections are still not fully in effect, so it's still buyer beware this year...Congress gave America's children the gift of safer toys and the CPSC is taking them away," said U.S. PIRG Public Health Advocate Liz Hitchcock during a news conference for the release of PIRG's 23rd annual toy safety survey.

In the absence of CPSC protection, PIRG suggested that parents could evade health risks this holiday season by avoiding toys that are made of soft plastics and children's jewelry that is made out of metal since each run the risk of containing toxics or lead.

While Hitchcock did not answer how many of the toys that made this year's list were manufactured in China, Consumer Program Director Edmund Mierzwinksi mentioned that 80% of toys sold in the U.S. are imported from China. While a rise in imports would naturally warrant further safety inspections, Mierzwinski contends that increased inspection have not kept pace with the rising amount of imports.

"There haven't been enough guards at the gate," said Mierzwinski.