Lobbying

To lobby is to contact governmental policy makers for the purpose of advocating for a particular policy action. In the United States, the federal government provides precise legal definitions of what constitutes lobbying, as do most state governments. For instance, a federal lobbyist is defined as someone who is paid more than $3,000 over any 3-month period for lobbying, works as a lobbyist for more than one employer, or spends more than 20% of his or her time lobbying. Such definitions have been established to determine who must register with the government that they lobby, disclose their contacts with officials and the precise nature of their employment as lobbyists, and disclose any political contributions that they or their employers have sought or solicited. Yet lobbying ...