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Lobbyists

Lobbyists are individuals and groups organized to influence legislation or administrative action on legal, political, economic, environmental, and other issues. Lobbyists are advocates in the public policy arena who present themselves as providers of reliable information, analysis, and assessment relevant to legislators and government for informed and balanced decision making.

Lobbyists then and Now

The term lobbyist was first used in the mid-17th century. Citizens gathered in a large lobby near the British House of Commons to express their views to members of Parliament. In the early 19th century, the term lobby-agent was used in the United States, where it was applied to citizens seeking legislative favors in the New York Capitol lobby. By 1832 lobby-agent had been shortened to lobbyist and was widely used on ...

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