Lobbyists

A dispute in Kansas raises the question:  which takes
precedence, the First Amendment (free speech) or the Second
Amendment?<br>
<br>
On July 1, 2013, <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2162_enro…; target="”_blank”">a
Kansas state law</a> became effective that prohibited the use of
state funds to pay for promotion or lobbying on gun control

In preparation for the chapter on lobbying that I'm working on, I
just finished reading a 2002 book entitled <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=iutSz6VKRXoC&quot; target="”_blank”"><i>The Ethics of
Lobbying</i></a> from the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown
University (Georgetown UP). It's an excellent introduction to a
number of issues involved in lobbying of the federal government,

There is lobbying, and then there is lobbying. One of the most
difficult things about regulating lobbying is defining what it means
to lobby. And according to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/opinion/edsall-the-unlobbyists.html&q…; target="”_blank”">an

According to <a href="http://www.alldc.org/press/Rebrand%20PR%2010-14-2013v2.pdf&quot; target="”_blank”">a
press release from the American League of Lobbyists</a>, the
association that lobbies for lobbyists, the membership has voted to
change its name and "brand" to the Association of Government
Relations Professionals.<br>
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It's good that lobbyists do not run election campaigns, because

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<b>“People seem to listen to you more when you’ve got a bagful of cash.”</b><br>
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—<a href="http://www.uschamber.com/about/management/donohue.htm&quot; target="”_blank”">Thomas

A report worth reading was recently published by the OECD: <a href="http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2009doc.nsf/ENGDATCORPLOOK/NT00002A56/$FI…; target="”_blank”">Self-Regulation
and Regulation of the Lobbying Profession</a>. Its focus on European
countries provides a valuable complement to American lobbying
regulation. Below is a condensed version of the report's executive
summary:<br>
<br>