he First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees citizens the right to petition their government. This means that people have the right to try to influence the actions that the government takes. Groups of people usually have more influence than people working alone, so many Americans belong to at least one organized group, such as a labor union, large business, religious group, league, or club. Often, these organized groups seek to influence the way Congress votes on particular issues. When these organized groups petition Congress, they are referred to as special interest groups.
Special interest groups hire representatives to speak to members of Congress. In the past, these representatives would meet with legislators in the lobby of the building. For this reason, they are known today as lobbyists. Lobbyists work with local, state, and federal politicians. In the past, lobbyists have influenced decisions made by Congress on major issues such as slavery, women’s suffrage, and taxes.
There are two kinds of lobbying: coalition and grassroots. Coalition lobbying occurs when two or more special interest groups join together for a similar cause. Grassroots lobbying is when a special interest group encourages citizens to voice their opinions to Congress though phone calls, e-mail, letters, and other forms of communication supporting the group’s interests. When it comes to lobbying Congress, there is power in numbers.
Lobbying is not the same as bribery. It is illegal to buy a legislator’s vote. On the other hand, many special interest groups may contribute money to the individual campaigns of legislators in order to win their support. In order to maintain checks and balances among lobbyists and special interest groups, Congress has passed two acts. In 1946, Congress passed the Regulation of Lobbying Act, requiring all professional lobbyists to register their employers and their expenses. Congress passed another act in 1995, the Lobbying Disclosure Act, that requires lobbyists to file more thorough reports dealing with the nature of their lobbying.