(JNi.media) Knesset House Committee Chairman MK David Bitan (Likud) on Monday presented a bill to his committee requiring lobbyists to register for each Knesset committee whose meetings they attend, and enter their personal information and the entity they represent.
MK Bitan said the bill constitutes an amendment to the Knesset Law regarding lobbyists. It is designed to increase the transparency of the various committees, due to repeated complaints that lobbyists attend committee deliberations without identifying who they work for, and try to influence MKs’ voting.
MK Bitan insisted that lobbyists who refuse to register in each committee’s protocol will face sanctions. Today, at the beginning of each committee meeting, a voluntary registration form is passed to the audience, but lobbyists are free to enter and leave the room during the room without reporting to anyone.
“The transparency of the Knesset work is the foundation of democracy, especially in regards to the involvement of lobbyists in the Knesset and its legislative process — which is why it should be changed,” Bitan explained, adding, “If they don’t register, they will face samctions.”
According to the lobbyists index of the Association for Progressive Democracy, as of December 2015 there are 107 registered lobbyists in the Knesset, representing 413 clients, including Israel’s major corporations.
There are several anti-lobbying groups operating in Israel, including Lobby 99 (as opposed to the one-percenters) and the APD. Both groups are committed to reversing a situation in which wealthy individuals and corporations receive better attention to their needs than the rest of the citizens.