Money & Politics | Daily Report

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Provisions designed to limit lobbying by former government officials also may unintentionally weaken the influence of public interest advocacy and charity groups, according to a report by a trade organization of lobbyists for nonprofits and charities.

The report [PDF] highlights an angle that often runs counter to the traditional big-business-centric narrative of lobbyist influence on government – namely that restrictions designed in the name of curbing narrow, wealthy interests also may stymie the efforts of interest groups that receive broad public support.

Written by the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest and released last week, the report targets policies enacted by the Obama administration that require broad disclosure of lobbying activity and prohibit former lobbyists from working in the administration without a two-year waiting period.

In a survey conducted for the report, 80 percent of respondents – which included leaders of groups like the YMCA and United Way – stated a belief that the administration’s policies were harmful to the public interest.

According to the report: “The restrictions have even had the perverse effect of driving some personnel away from their public-interest jobs fighting genocide, protecting consumers and advancing other public purposes in order to 'get clean' – meaning stopping lobbying for two years so as to be eligible for public service under Administration rules.”

In a lobbying system that often pits large business interests directly against public interest groups, the report also expresses concern that well-intentioned regulations may tip the balance more toward wealthy interests, which can hire professionals skilled at navigating increasingly complex disclosure rules.

Lobbyists often are popular targets for politicians and government reform groups looking to strike a populist chord, including in California. The cozy relationship between lobbying firms and former lawmakers and state officials draws fire particularly often.

State regulations bar former state officials from contacting specified government agencies for a year after they leave office. Lobbyists also face stringent requirements to disclose the bills and issues they lobbied, payments to lawmakers and staff members, and other information about their activity on a quarterly basis.

The most active lobbying groups in Sacramento tend not to be the charitable types referenced in the report. Unions, local governments, energy companies and other business interests typically round out the top 25 biggest spenders in any given legislative session.

The biggest spender through the first half of this year, the California Teachers Association, spent more than $5.3 million on lobbying services, according to state records. Meanwhile, the California State Alliance of YMCAs hasn’t spent a dime since 2009, when it dropped more than $90,000 lobbying one bill changing the way school bond measures could be introduced and another that would have required the state Department of Veterans Affairs to take an inventory of its property.