Government Law & Lobbying State Legislative Lobbying
A government law or decision-making process depends on various information and resources. Lobbyists can share that information with lawmakers in a way that encourages them to make sound decisions.
Lobbying is a year-round process that requires cultivating personal relationships with legislators. While it can be a major expense, it can also be one of the most effective ways to influence government policy.
Legislators’ Offices & Buildings
As legislators and staffers are a vital part of the legislative process, their offices are a focal point for various issues. From environmental issues to health care and transportation, it’s important for them to feel connected to their community and to be able to meet with constituents.
For this reason, they often turn to outside individuals for advice and assistance on important policy issues. However, they need to trust the person they are meeting with and treat them with respect.
Legislative Committees & Subcommittees
Committees consider bills and issues, recommend measures for consideration by the House and Senate, and oversee agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdictions.
During the legislative session, Committees hold meetings to allow citizens to comment on bills and issues before the chamber considers them. In addition, some committees have specialized functions, such as conference committees that reconcile legislation between the House and Senate.
Committees serve as an essential part of the legislative process for most Americans, but they also present many challenges. For example, committees are often unrepresentative of the full democratically-elected membership in Congress (Reference Baumgartner, Berry, Hojnacki and Leech 2009).
Lobbyists’ Offices & Buildings
Lobbyists’ office and building visits may not be the flashiest, glamorous events, but they are essential to building relationships. They ensure their clients are informed about legislative progress, changes, and outcomes.
Despite the public misconception, lobbyists do not engage in quid pro quo bribery of lawmaker offices or their staffers; they primarily focus on relationship-building. Relationship-building takes many forms, including a variety of informal interactions with lawmakers’ office staff and other Hill community members.
Meetings & Events
The face-to-face meetings industry creates jobs, generates commerce and impacts communities. However, it can also be a costly endeavour that drains budgets.
Meetings and events may include special occasions like company award ceremonies or nonprofit galas. They can also be trade shows or exhibitions.
Lobbying is the process by which special interest groups hire professional advocates to persuade decision-makers to change their positions on public policy issues. This is a highly controversial practice that is often seen in negative light by the American public. Several critics have called it a legal form of bribery, influence peddling and extortion. It is regulated in many jurisdictions, but not all.
Conferences & Workshops
Conferences can be a very useful tool for organizing and sharing knowledge. They can also be a way to highlight and strategize about an issue or plan for the future or to motivate advocacy.
They can be of two types: conferences for professional associations, government law agencies or coalitions, and issue-related conferences focusing on a particular concern.
These conferences are often organized to bring together experts in a particular field or profession for an extended period to share their knowledge and skills with others. They may also be organized to provide continuing education or professional development credit to members of a profession.
Publications
Publications convey legal information, proceedings of government bodies such as Parliament or Congress, annual reports of government law agencies and commissions of enquiry, and statistical data. They are also published to inform, advise or guide citizens and communicate legislation changes.
There is a wide range of government publications, and these vary from country to country. They are often specialized and have different structures to other forms of information.