GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A LOBBYIST By: Roger Beyer IIABO Lobbyist
I am often asked “what do you do”? My standard response is “I am a lobbyist”. The follow-up is then, “but what does a lobbyist do”? The answer to this question many times depends on who is asking and what their perspective of a lobbyist is. Pictures, they say, “paint a thousand words” so here is a great response:
As is usually the case, the truth lies somewhere in between the extremes depicted by the next couple pictures.
That, in a normal year, is a pretty accurate response. This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the picture would need to be changed to me sitting in front of a computer trying to participate in multiple committee hearings at the same time while talking on the phone and sending text messages. I cannot wait for the state capitol to be reopened to the public (which includes lobbyists) so I can get back to running from meeting to meeting instead of all being electronic. So, to get back to the original question, what does a lobbyist do? I am going to focus on when we are not in a pandemic and try to give you a glimpse into the daily activities of a lobbyist during a legislative session here in Oregon. My days in the capitol are normally 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Thursday. Afternoon committees are not typically scheduled on Fridays allowing legislators to go home for the weekend. Add to that a 45-minute commute time each way, typically spent on the phone either with legislators or other lobbyists. There is some time in the day during committee meetings to work on emails or messages, but most of the writing for documents, newsletters and testimony happens in the evenings, Friday afternoon and weekends. Committee meetings dominate my days. In Oregon, committees are where the action is. Once a bill leaves the committee going to a floor vote, it is typically a done deal. Unlike other states and US Congress, no amendments or changes are allowed in the full chambers. Committees are where I need to be to testify and monitor the outcome of legislation.
Sadly, at least for me, this next picture has more truth than many in my profession care to admit.
When I do not have the luxury to show these pictures, I sum it up in this manner, “My clients pay me to attend meetings that they don’t want to attend themselves.” 28 | SPRING 2021 |
Committee times are 8:00 AM, 1:00PM and 3:00 PM; normally three Senate and three House committees at each time. It is not uncommon to have bills scheduled in multiple committees simultaneously. When that happens, I sit in one committee waiting and at the same time watch a different committee on my laptop computer, ready to jump up and run to the other meeting when the bill I am working on gets to the top of the agenda. Fortunately, Oregon’s capitol building has the committee rooms near each other, so the sprint down the hall is not long. This is the scenario when having a positive relationship with committee staff is critical. I will let the staff know prior to the meetings that I am double booked and ask that they give me a call or send a text when my issue is getting close to the docket. They are normally very accommodating and willing to help in those situations, providing you have developed the relationship.
