Opinion: In defense of lobbyists at the Minnesota Legislature

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

One of the things we hear at the end of the legislative session is praise for staff and appreciation for colleagues. Rarely do we hear thanks for lobbyists. So let me be the one to call them out.

Lobbyists are almost always portrayed as villains in stories about legislating, caricatured as backroom power brokers pulling strings for special interests. But the reality is way more nuanced and way less sinister.

At their core, lobbyists are subject matter experts. Whether they’re advocating for environmental protections, business regulations or social services, they make sure that legislators have access to key information and the perspectives of the people who will be most impacted by policy decisions.

In Minnesota, the “guys in suits with checkbooks” stereotype of lobbyists is long gone. Sure, most still wear suits, but lobbyists come in all shapes and sizes and ages and income levels and professional backgrounds. They are Republicans, DFLers, Independents, Forwardists, Democratic Socialists, Libertarians and everything in between. Some participate in campaigns, some don’t. Most have partners and kids and pets and (outside the legislative session) normal lives. They coach youth sports, volunteer at nonprofits and compare prices at the grocery store like everyone else. Their work doesn’t happen in isolation; it’s deeply embedded in the communities they advocate for.

The stereotype of a “revolving door” doesn’t ring quite as true in Minnesota as it might in D.C. But many lobbyists do come from backgrounds as legislative staffers, because staff service grounds them in an understanding of how the system works. They learn how to work with the revisor’s office to get bills drafted and how to navigate committee structures and the negotiation process. They learn the difference between partisan and nonpartisan staff roles. They bridge gaps between lawmakers, agencies and stakeholders. Their technical expertise ensures that unintended consequences are identified, and their grasp of the political realities of situations (and specific lawmakers) gives them a realistic idea of what’s really possible. And they put all of that knowledge to work for their clients.

And what about those checkbooks? Even more so than the general public, lobbyists operate under strict campaign finance and reporting regulations. The rules governing lobbyist contributions are designed to limit undue influence (including a ban on contributions by lobbyists and the entities they represent during legislative session) ensuring that money alone doesn’t dictate legislative outcomes.

For the most part, my experience of lobbyists (and, in full disclosure, I was a registered lobbyist for almost a decade) are good ones. For the most part, they are open and friendly, and they share information. They help each other out. They’re competitive sometimes, sure, but they also know that your opponent on one bill could be your ally on the next, so there’s a sincere effort to act in good faith and not burn bridges. As a group, lobbyists are the least likely to have public stress-induced blowups. And, since credibility is currency, I’ve found them to be the most consistently truthful group of people in the State Capitol. (Seriously — lobbyists in Minnesota know that lying can end your career.)

Every year there are efforts to ban former legislators from transitioning into lobbying after they leave office. While critics frame it as “cashing in” on their service, the reality is more nuanced. Salaries and per diem hover around $60,000 per year for rank and file legislators — hardly sustainable long-term, especially given the year-round demands of the role. (Minnesota technically has a part-time “citizen Legislature” which means many have outside jobs. But many find it difficult to juggle both, and having outside employment can lead to questions of conflicts of interest, as we saw this year.) It’s unrealistic to expect people who choose to be public servants for a time to indefinitely cap their earnings at this level.

Beyond salary considerations, many former lawmakers become lobbyists just to stay connected to the work and the relationships they nurtured at the Capitol. They care about issues and don’t want to walk away from those efforts — especially for complex problems that take decades to solve. And, as some will tell you, they actually have way less power and access as a lobbyist than they did as a legislator.

Minnesota’s lobbyists aren’t shadowy figures manipulating policy for personal gain. They are professionals, advocates and community members working within a highly regulated framework to ensure that decisionmakers have the information they need to craft effective policy. Just as your favorite piece of legislation had legislative champions, there’s surely a lobbyist in that effort who helped get it over the finish line.

Let’s start talking about lobbyists as assets, not enemies — and maybe start including them in the thank you speeches too.

Shannon Watson, of Minneapolis, is founder and executive director of Majority in the Middle.