Lobbyist Records

Our Lobbyist Records are sourced from federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings and state ethics commissions. These records document registered lobbyists, their clients, lobbying expenditures, and areas of legislative interest.

NOTE: Lobbyist registration and disclosure is required by the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act and similar state laws. Records include lobbyist names, employing organizations, client information, and spending reports. Filings are updated quarterly at the federal level and on varying schedules at the state level.

What Are Lobbyist Records?

Lobbyist records are official government filings that document the activities of individuals and organizations who are paid to influence government decisions on behalf of clients. Lobbying -- the practice of attempting to influence legislators, regulators, and other government officials -- is a constitutionally protected activity under the First Amendment's right to petition the government. However, because lobbying involves efforts to shape policy decisions that affect millions of people, federal and state laws require lobbyists to publicly disclose their identities, clients, activities, and spending.

These disclosure requirements create a rich public record that allows citizens, journalists, researchers, and government watchdog organizations to track who is lobbying government officials, on whose behalf, on what issues, and how much money is being spent in the process. Lobbyist records are among the most important transparency tools available in a democratic society, providing visibility into the often-opaque process of influence that shapes legislation, regulation, and government policy.

The scope of lobbying in the United States is substantial. At the federal level alone, thousands of registered lobbyists report billions of dollars in annual lobbying expenditures. Major corporations, industry trade groups, labor unions, advocacy organizations, foreign governments, and individual interest groups all engage lobbyists to advance their policy objectives. State-level lobbying is similarly extensive, with each state maintaining its own registration and disclosure requirements for lobbyists who seek to influence state legislatures, governors, and state agencies.

Federal vs. State Lobbying Disclosure

Lobbying disclosure operates at two distinct levels in the United States, with different laws, filing requirements, and oversight agencies governing federal and state lobbying activities.

Federal lobbying is governed primarily by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA), which replaced the earlier Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946. The LDA requires individuals and organizations that meet certain thresholds of lobbying activity to register with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Registrants must file quarterly activity reports disclosing the specific issues they lobbied on, the government entities they contacted, and the amount of money spent on lobbying activities. The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA) strengthened the LDA by requiring more frequent reporting, increasing penalties for non-compliance, and adding disclosure requirements for bundled campaign contributions by lobbyists.

Federal lobbyist filings are available through the Senate's Lobbying Disclosure database and the House of Representatives' lobbying records. These databases allow public searches by lobbyist name, registrant (the lobbying firm), client name, and issue area. The data covers registrations dating back to 1998, when electronic filing began, and provides a comprehensive view of federal lobbying activity over more than two decades.

State lobbying disclosure varies significantly from state to state. Every state requires some form of lobbyist registration and activity reporting, but the specific definitions of lobbying, the thresholds that trigger registration requirements, the frequency and detail of activity reports, and the enforcement mechanisms differ considerably. Some states, like California and New York, have robust disclosure systems with detailed reporting requirements and searchable online databases. Other states have less comprehensive systems with fewer data fields and limited online accessibility.

State lobbying records are maintained by various agencies depending on the state, including secretary of state offices, ethics commissions, joint legislative committees, and attorney general offices. The lack of uniformity in state lobbying disclosure makes cross-state analysis challenging but also makes aggregated databases like OpenDataUSA particularly valuable for researchers who need to search across multiple jurisdictions.

The Lobbying Disclosure Act in Detail

The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 established the modern framework for federal lobbying transparency. Understanding its key provisions is essential for interpreting the lobbyist records in our database.

Under the LDA, a person must register as a lobbyist if they are employed or retained by a client, make more than one lobbying contact on behalf of that client, and spend at least 20 percent of their time on lobbying activities for that client during a quarterly period. Lobbying contacts are defined as oral, written, or electronic communications to covered legislative or executive branch officials regarding the formulation, modification, or adoption of federal legislation, rules, regulations, executive orders, or government programs and policies.

Once registered, lobbyists must file quarterly activity reports (known as LD-2 forms) that disclose the specific issues lobbied, the houses of Congress and federal agencies contacted, the names of individual lobbyists who acted on behalf of each client, and an estimate of the income received (for lobbying firms) or expenditures made (for organizations lobbying on their own behalf) for lobbying activities during the quarter. These estimates are reported in defined ranges rather than exact figures for income under a certain threshold, and in exact amounts above that threshold.

Additionally, registered lobbyists must file semiannual reports (LD-203 forms) disclosing any political contributions made to federal candidates, leadership PACs, or party committees, as well as payments to events honoring covered officials and certifications regarding compliance with congressional gift and travel rules. These contribution reports help connect lobbying activity to campaign finance and reveal the full scope of lobbyists' engagement in the political process.

What Information Is Available in Lobbyist Records?

Lobbyist records contain detailed information that reveals the connections between lobbyists, their clients, and the policy issues they seek to influence. The key data elements include the following.

Lobbyist identification includes the name, contact information, and background of each registered lobbyist. Federal filings also require disclosure of any previous covered government positions held by the lobbyist during the preceding 20 years, which is particularly important for tracking the "revolving door" between government service and the lobbying industry. Many registered lobbyists are former members of Congress, congressional staff, executive branch officials, or military officers who leverage their government experience and relationships in their lobbying careers.

Registrant information identifies the lobbying firm or organization that employs the lobbyist. This is distinct from the client, as many lobbying firms represent multiple clients simultaneously. Large Washington lobbying firms like Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, and Squire Patton Boggs each represent dozens or even hundreds of clients and employ teams of lobbyists with different areas of expertise and government relationships.

Client information identifies who is paying for the lobbying activity. Clients range from individual corporations and trade associations to foreign governments, advocacy nonprofits, and state and local governments. For clients that are themselves funded by another entity, the LDA requires disclosure of the ultimate funding source, adding an additional layer of transparency.

Issue areas and specific lobbying activity describe what the lobbyist is working on. Filings include general issue codes (such as taxation, healthcare, defense, environment, or trade) as well as narrative descriptions of specific bills, regulations, or policy matters that were the subject of lobbying contacts. This granular detail allows researchers to track who is lobbying on specific pieces of legislation and how much money is being spent to influence particular policy outcomes.

Financial information includes either the income received by a lobbying firm for its services or the total lobbying expenditures by an organization lobbying on its own behalf. At the federal level, these amounts are reported quarterly. When combined with campaign contribution disclosures, these financial records provide a comprehensive picture of how lobbying dollars flow through the political system.

Using Lobbyist Data for Transparency Research

Lobbyist records are among the most valuable tools available for government transparency and accountability research. Journalists use lobbying data to investigate which interests are attempting to influence specific legislation, to identify potential conflicts of interest when former government officials become lobbyists for industries they once regulated, and to expose the scale of corporate influence on government policy. Investigative reporting based on lobbying data has exposed numerous instances of undue influence and contributed to reforms in government ethics and disclosure requirements.

Government watchdog organizations like the Center for Responsive Politics (which operates OpenSecrets.org), the Sunlight Foundation, and the Project On Government Oversight use lobbying data extensively to track the influence industry, publish analyses of lobbying spending trends, and advocate for stronger disclosure requirements. These organizations aggregate and analyze millions of lobbying records to produce reports on which industries spend the most on lobbying, which issues attract the most lobbying activity, and how lobbying spending correlates with legislative outcomes.

Academic researchers in political science, public policy, economics, and law use lobbying data to study fundamental questions about democratic governance: Does lobbying spending influence legislative votes? How does the revolving door between government and lobbying affect regulatory policy? What is the return on investment for corporate lobbying expenditures? Do lobbying disclosure requirements effectively promote transparency, or do they contain loopholes that undermine their purpose? These research questions have generated a substantial academic literature that informs ongoing debates about lobbying regulation and government ethics.

Concerned citizens can use lobbyist records to understand who is working to influence their elected representatives on issues that matter to them. By searching for lobbying activity related to specific bills or policy areas, citizens can identify the competing interests at play in legislative debates and make more informed decisions about which organizations and candidates to support.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between lobbying and making a campaign contribution?

Lobbying and campaign contributions are two distinct forms of political engagement, though they often overlap. Lobbying involves direct communication with government officials aimed at influencing policy decisions -- it is about shaping legislation, regulations, and government actions. Campaign contributions are financial donations to political candidates, parties, or political action committees. While lobbyists may also make campaign contributions (which they must disclose), the two activities are governed by different laws. Lobbying is regulated by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, while campaign contributions are regulated by the Federal Election Campaign Act and enforced by the Federal Election Commission. Our lobbyist records focus on lobbying registration and activity filings, though federal filings also include disclosure of lobbyists' political contributions.

Are all lobbyists required to register and file disclosures?

Not everyone who communicates with government officials is required to register as a lobbyist. The LDA establishes specific thresholds that trigger registration requirements. A person must register if they are employed by a client, make more than one lobbying contact, and spend at least 20 percent of their time on lobbying activities for that client during a quarter. Organizations that employ in-house lobbyists must register if their total lobbying expenditures exceed a defined threshold. These thresholds mean that some individuals who engage in occasional or informal advocacy may not be required to register, which is a commonly noted gap in the disclosure system.

How often is lobbyist data updated?

At the federal level, lobbyists are required to file quarterly activity reports within 20 days after the end of each calendar quarter. This means new lobbying data becomes available four times per year, roughly in January, April, July, and October. Semiannual contribution reports are filed twice per year. State filing schedules vary -- some states require quarterly reports similar to the federal system, while others require monthly, semiannual, or annual filings. OpenDataUSA updates our lobbyist records regularly to incorporate newly published filings from federal and state sources, though there is typically a processing lag between filing deadlines and data availability.

Can foreign governments and entities lobby the U.S. government?

Yes, foreign governments, political parties, and entities can and do hire lobbyists to advocate for their interests with the U.S. government. However, these activities are subject to additional disclosure requirements under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which is administered by the Department of Justice rather than Congress. FARA requires agents of foreign principals to register and disclose their activities, the terms of their agreements, and detailed financial information. Some lobbying on behalf of foreign interests is also disclosed through the LDA, particularly when lobbying firms represent foreign commercial clients. The intersection of FARA and LDA reporting creates a more comprehensive picture of foreign influence activities in Washington.

What is the "revolving door" and how do lobbyist records track it?

The "revolving door" refers to the movement of individuals between government positions and private sector lobbying jobs. Federal lobbyist registration forms require lobbyists to disclose any covered government positions they held during the preceding 20 years, including service as members of Congress, congressional staff, or senior executive branch officials. This disclosure requirement makes it possible to track how many lobbyists are former government officials and to identify individuals who may be leveraging their government relationships and inside knowledge for private clients. Federal law also imposes "cooling off" periods that restrict former officials from lobbying their former agencies or colleagues for a specified period after leaving government, though the specifics and enforcement of these restrictions vary.

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