Some Lobbyists Try to Skirt Stimulus Ban

Lobbyists are working around a White House order banning them from seeking details about the $787 billion economic-stimulus plan by instead sending company executives, lawyers or consultants to meet with federal officials in the hope of securing a share of the money. The March 20 order bans federally registered lobbyists from requesting details about stimulus funds from government officials in person or by phone. Contacts must be in writing and posted online. But a month after the ban took effect, only a handful of contact reports appear on government Web sites -- even though reports filed to Congress last week suggest that 2,500 entities lobbied on the bill last quarter. Frustration has boiled over in recent days as a number of lobbyists and open-government groups have begun speaking out against the ban. Some said they are considering filing legal challenges to it.