From Congressional Aide to Lobbyist
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Staff members of Senate and House committees and assistants to U.S. Representatives
and Senators often leave after a few years to take lucrative jobs as lobbyists.
So, at times, do their elected bosses.
- Lobbying is Washington's big industry -- with experts predicting that
amounts spent to influence the federal government this year will exceed
the record $1.2 billion reported last year.
- At least 128 former members of Congress were among the ranks of 17,000
lobbyists listed in the 1998 edition of "Washington Representatives,"
a lobbying directory.
- Twelve percent of those who retired or were defeated in the 1980s are
listed as lobbyists -- as well as 22 percent of those who left in the 1990s.
- In 1996, the average tenure of administrative assistants in the House
had dropped to four years from 5.5 years in 1987 -- with a substantial
number of them leaving for higher-paying lobbying jobs.
In a recent survey, 58 percent of departing congressional staffers cited
a desire to earn more money as their reason for leaving. That was the second
most frequent reason cited after a desire to pursue a different type of
work.
Observers report that children, wives and even siblings of lawmakers become
lobbyists. American University even offers a popular course on lobbying.
Source: Jill Abramson, "The Business of Persuasion Thrives in Nation's
Capital," New York Times, September 29, 1998.
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