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WASHINGTON, October 12, 2006 — To get a bill passed in the statehouse often requires legislators to do a little lobbying — a requirement that especially suits North Carolina Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake County, current lawmaker and former registered lobbyist.
The process includes speaking with all committee members involved and following the bill when it crosses over to the other legislative chamber for consideration, Ross says. But she believes legislators sometimes think such tasks are reserved only for lobbyists.
While a Center for Public Integrity analysis focused on former state legislators who registered to lobby at some point after leaving office, Ross is among the rarer individuals who were lobbyists who then became legislators. >>
WASHINGTON, October 12, 2006 — WolfBlock Government Relations touts the success of its employees "in this specialized field of Pennsylvania politics" on its Web site. It's not surprising the firm knows how to get results for its clients from the state government: of the six lobbyists with online profiles, five worked as staffers in the state legislature or the governor's office. The sixth member is a former legislator.
Through its six-month investigation of state legislators-turned-lobbyists, the Center for Public Integrity found not only ex-lawmakers cashing in on legislative experience, but government staffers who also moved into private advocacy positions. >>
States Outpace Congress in Upgrading Lobbying Laws
24 states have made disclosure strides since 2003
WASHINGTON, August 10, 2005 — Vested interests are working harder than ever to achieve their goals in state capitols and state agencies across the country. Nearly 47,000 such interests—companies, advocacy groups, labor unions, professional organizations and even government agencies—hired more than 38,000 individual lobbyists. >>
WASHINGTON, August 10, 2005 — What follows are summaries of states that have either proposed or enacted changes to their lobbying regulations in the last year. Most of this information comes from Web-based news services. >>
WASHINGTON, May 19, 2004 — Lobbyists in 41 states reported spending more than $889 million wining, dining and influencing state lawmakers in 2003, according to a new study by the Center for Public Integrity. That figure is up from the $720 million of lobbyist spending reported in 40 states in 2002. >>
Special Report
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2003 — While lobbyists and their employers in 39 states spent more than $715 million wining, dining and generally influencing state lawmakers in 2002, many details about how those dollars were spent remain hidden from public view, according to a comprehensive analysis released today by the Center for Public Integrity. >>
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2003 — In the state where government of the people, by the people and for the people was born, the backdoor to the Capitol is wide open. Because of a recent decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, there is no regulation of lobbyists in the House of Representatives. That means no registration, no reporting, and no accountability—a lobbyist could lavish a representative with expensive meals and gifts, or pass along a few tickets to the first Eagles home game played in the new Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia this fall, and wouldn't need to report doing so to anyone. The only remaining checks are the internal ethics rules, which place sole responsibility for reporting gifts on the legislators themselves. >>
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2003 — Though federal laws are often considered more stringent than state laws, this is not the case with the federal lobby disclosure law. The Center for Public Integrity survey shows that only three states—New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wyoming—have lobby disclosure rules that are as weak as or weaker than those applying to the hired guns registered to lobby Congress. >>
Special Report
WASHINGTON, May 1, 2002 — Lobbyists in 34 states spent $565 million wining, dining and influencing state legislators and members of the executive branch in 2000, according to "The Fourth Branch," a new study by the Center for Public Integrity. >>