Hired Guns
 

An Ongoing Report on State Lobbying

State-level lobbying tends to fade into the shadows of high profile federal lobbying scandals. But influence buying is at least a $1 billion-a-year industry across the 50 states. The Center for Public Integrity has been tracking state-level lobbying since 2002. In this section of our web site, you will find our latest stories as well as a series of charts on different facets of the issue. Use the links on the left to drill down to the amount lobbyists spent and the ratio of legislators to lobbyists in your state, among other facts.

State Capitol Revolvers
Influence: A Booming Business
Record $1.3 billion spent to lobby state government
WASHINGTON, December 20, 2007 — The influence industry in state capitals continues to grow, as state lobbyists and the companies and organizations that hire them spent a record of almost $1.3 billion in 2006, according to the Center for Public Integrity's sixth-annual review. >>
State Lobbying Becomes Billion-Dollar Business
At least a dozen states revise laws in 2006
WASHINGTON, December 20, 2006 — State lobbyists and the companies that hire them spent a record of more than $1 billion in 2005 to influence state lawmakers and officials, the Center for Public Integrity has found. >>
It's All Relative
State lobby corps includes legislator spouses, offspring
WASHINGTON, December 20, 2006 — Arkansas' term limits forced Mike Creekmore out of his job as a Democratic state representative in 2004, but he still has a strong connection to the General Assembly. His wife, Dawn Creekmore — also a Democrat — was elected to serve in his old seat in the next legislative session.  >>
Statehouse Revolvers
Study finds more than 1,300 ex-legislators among 2005 state lobbying ranks
WASHINGTON, October 12, 2006 — Over a three-year period ending in 2005, nearly 1,600 former lawmakers across the country were registered at some point to lobby state legislatures for special interests, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity. More than 1,300 ex-lawmakers were registered to lobby in 2005 alone. The study findings show that the revolving door between public and private service turns just as easily in the state arena as it does in Washington D.C. on the federal level. And when the former state legislators moved into their new roles, Center research found, they often emerged as some of the most powerful, well-connected statehouse lobbyists. >>
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