American League of Lobbyists

When is a Lobbyist Not a Lobbyist?

By Howard Marlowe, President, American League of Lobbyists

Newt Gingrich is a lobbyist. Any way you cut the cake, he was working to influence policy. Under current law, however, Gingrich most likely didn't need to register since he probably didn't spend at least 20% of his time on "covered lobbing activities." If that's the case, Mr. Gingrich joins a few thousand others in this town who are paid to lobby but are not required to register as lobbyists due to gaping holes in the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA). Those holes need to be closed.

Unlike Mr. Gingrich, several thousand of my professional colleagues aren't ashamed of the lobbying we do. We help business, labor, schools, hospitals and others get their message communicated effectively to the right people and at the right time. Many of us don't niggle over percentages, but rather take the approach that over-reporting is a more prudent way to go.

Continue reading the op-ed piece appearing in The Hill

ALL Quick News and Notes

Register for the Forum on Ethical and Effective Lobbying: Former Members' Perspectives
Register for the January 30th LCP Budget and Appropriations Course
Renew your membership at the new ALL Member Services Portal
Meet Dave Levinthal and Anna Palmer at YLN’s Evening with Politico on January 30th.
Check out the 2012 LCP Schedule and learn how to complete the program.

Advocacy, Ethics, Education

Welcome to the American League of Lobbyists' (ALL) Web site. For the past 30 years, ALL has been the preeminent national organization representing professional lobbyists. Our mission is to "enhance the development of professionalism, competence, and high ethical standards for advocates in the public policy arena; and to collectively address challenges which affect the First Amendment right to petition the government for redress of grievances.'"

Lobbyists have been an integral part of our representative system of government since the founding of the Republic. There are lobbyists involved with the schools, churches, retail businesses, and corporate interests you see each day. Of course, each individual and business can go to Washington, DC, on their own to ask Congress to respond to their needs. However, professional lobbyists know the intricacies of the process - who to talk to, how and when to present an effective argument, and what needs to be done to follow-up. We are also educators who help elected officials understand the information in front of them so they can weigh different viewpoints and then decide for themselves what is in the best interests of their constituents.

Above all else that we do, ALL is committed to promoting ethical lobbying. We have been at the forefront of both calling for and helping to write laws that require federal lobbyists to register with Congress. We have promoted transparency so that anyone can use the Internet to see who our clients are, what issues we are working on, and how much we are paid. ALL prescribes a strong Code of Ethics for its members to follow, as well as, a rigorous Lobbying Certificate Program that assures lobbyists have a complete knowledge of the legislative and regulatory processes.

As ALL's president in 2011, I invite you to watch the video that we have put together. It highlights what it is that professional lobbyists do. Once you know more about our profession, please feel free to contact me with your questions and comments.

To join the League, complete our online application. Thank you very much for visiting our site site. I hope you come back often to see what professional lobbyists are doing to improve citizens' access to their government.

Howard Marlowe
President of the American League of Lobbyists

Established in 1979 as a nonprofit organization, The American League of Lobbyists (ALL) is the national professional association dedicated exclusively to lobbying. ALL's mission is to enhance the development of professionalism, competence and high ethical standards for advocates in the public policy arena, and to collectively address challenges affecting the first amendment right to "petition the government for redress of grievances."