Lobbyists Get Unfair Press
Lobbyists get a bad rap when it comes to publicity.
The press seems to blame any corruption or bad legislation mainly on the lobbyists. Frankly, I have never read any good things that were printed in press articles which referred to lobbyists.
When there is reform due to some public corruption, the lobbyists usually wind up more restricted than the public office holders.
This is why the public perception of lobbyists is so low.
We should feel differently. Lobbyists are good for our system. They serve the people.
They represent and make known to the Legislators the point of view and needs of their employers. This needs to be done. How else are the Legislators going to find out how a bill will affect the people or a segment of our society.
With over 2,000 bills filed in the Legislature, the Senators and Representatives do not have time to read these bills. Even reading them may not explain what a bill will actually do.
To fully comprehend the effects of a bill, it is necessary that each law affected must be researched. Then, often the punch line is missed, the hidden agenda, or the real purpose of the bill.
Therefore, the Legislators need lobbyists to explain the proposed legislation and how it will affect people.
Of course, just like any other profession or occupation, there are always a few bad apples in the barrel. That will always be true.
However, lobbyists are good and honorable people who gain credibility by telling the truth to the Legislators.
Once a Legislator has found out a lobbyist’s statements were misleading, the Legislator has lost reliance upon that particular Legislator. Therefore, lobbyists must tell it like it is or they will lose their credibility and effectiveness and the Legislators no longer will listen.
There are all kinds of lobbyists. There are large lobbyist firms with long client lists, small individual lobbyists, and in house lobbyists for Associations and Corporations.
If these are all paid to lobby Legislators or the Administration, they must register with the Tennessee Ethics Commission which regulates them and their employers to ensure no illegal monies are paid or illegal activities take place. The Commission polices the industry.
In Tennessee it is difficult and expensive to be a lobbyist. It used to be easy. Pay$25 and that was just about it. The lobbyists were required to report their annual contributions to any Legislators and they were made public.
The lobbyist laws are complex now and it is so difficult and regulated that some Legislators have even considered doing away with the Tennessee Ethics Commission and starting all over again.
Now, who uses lobbyists? From the long list of employers registered with the Ethics Commission, the list is a cross segment of our society. All types of special interest associations, corporations, individuals, and governments.
Therefore, we all directly or indirectly rely upon lobbyists to tell our story and protect our interests in the government process.
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