Interest groups & lobbying 12.3 Guided Notes

1. Interest groups A. Interest groups are made up of people who share a common cause or characteristic B. The 1st Amendment gives citizens the right to join interest groups: Right to assemble & petition

2. Private vs. Public interest Groups A. Private groups: 1. Have common economic/business interests 2. Some may be about a particular issue, like the NAACP B. Public groups: 1. Work to benefit most Americans

3. Political Action Committees A. Aka "PACs" B. Try to influence the decisions of gov't leaders by supporting certain candidates C. Raise money for chosen candidates

4. Public policy A. Interest groups affect public policy by bringing cases to court or by lobbying lawmakers B. Lobbyists: person that represents an interest group who contacts lawmakers/gov't directly C. They provide information to the public, but this info is normally BIASED: Propaganda techniques

5. Regulating interest groups A. Must follow federal, state, and local laws B. Some laws limit PAC money contributed, require lobbyists to tell who hired them & how much they get paid