Q:What is grassroots lobbying?
Communication with the public that express a view about specific Legislation and includes a call to action.
Q:What is direct lobbying?
Communication with a Legislator that expresses a view about specific legislation.
Q:What is advocacy?
Advocacy is a broad term covering a range of activities that seek to bring about systemic social change. One form of advocacy is lobbying – attempts to influence specific legislation through direct or grassroots communications with legislators or their staff – but advocacy also includes executive branch activities, issue organizing, and nonpartisan voter engagement.
Q:What are the Executive Branch Lobbying Restrictions?
To reduce what some perceive as the undue influence of lobbyists in Washington, President Obama has introduced a number of new restrictions on the activities of individuals that have registered as federal lobbyists.
– Under the new rules, before having conversations or meeting with government officials, registered lobbyists must complete a form which will be posted on the official’s agency’s website documenting the contact.
– Registered lobbyists are now prohibited from serving in an agency they previously lobbied for two years without a specific waiver from the Administration. The White House has also urged federal agencies and departments not to appoint federally-registered lobbyists to federal advisory boards and commissions.
Q:What are the State Lobbying Registration Thresholds?
Nonprofits that lobby must comply with two distinct sets of laws: Federal tax law setting the amount an organization can lobby, and state, federal and in some cases local laws that impose certain reporting and disclosure obligations.
Download these helpful documents:
Explanation of the Legislative Process
Public Participation in the Legislative Process
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