Lobbying the Texas Legislature refers to the paid engagement of professional advocates to promote particular legislation, the public interest and/or industry viewpoints to legislative committees, regulatory agencies and/or individual legislators. The Texas Government Code, Title 3 requires those who lobby the state government to register as lobbyists and establishes what activity constitutes lobbying.
The benefits of lobbying have been quantified in a number of published studies. The verdict? Lobbying expenditures can result in positive outcomes for business. Consider these surveys below:
In 2011, the investment-research firm Strategas produced an index of 50 companies that compared lobbying expenditures as a percentage of company assets. In a word, the results are "stunning" and "comparable to the returns of the most blistering hedge fund."
In another study, drawing upon meta-analysis spanning a number of social science disciplines, researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of Tennessee found that "corporate political activity (CPA)" ̶ e.g., lobbying ̶ "is positively related to firm performance and is an important determinant of firm performance." The authors published the results in the January 2011 issue of Journal of Management, an influential peer-reviewed academic periodical dealing with a range of management issues including industrial and organizational psychology.
Lobbyists have four basic criteria to follow when exercising their craft:
1. What precisely is being lobbied for and what is the desired result of the lobbying?
2. Who is in the position of power to make decisions on the issue being lobbied?
3. Who are the actors attempting to influence the policymaker(s) and how can they be mobilized to further the lobbyist's goals?
4. What will the opposition's strategy be?
Remember that most bills ̶ less than 10%, according to historians ̶ ever see ratification into law. The reason why is because of the tug-of-war between the various interests affected by the passage of new legislation. It is invariably easier to oppose a law than to enact one.
Attorney Jake Posey and the team at The Posey Law Firm strive to assist clients in all avenues of state government. If your company needs assistance in finding Texas legislative solutions then consider speaking with The Posey Law Firm, PC.
