1. Interest Groups

2. Organized bodies of individuals having shared goals and desire to influence government Success defined by getting group ’ s preferences enacted Similar to political parties in that they try to influence elections and legislation Different from political parties in that they do not nominate candidates or try to address a wide range of issues

3. Functions of Interest Groups General Represent members Provide a means of political participation Educate the public Build agendas Serve as a government watchdog Insider Tactics Provide Information (Technical and Political) Lobby Government Outsider Tactics Shape Public Opinion (information campaigns and grassroots lobbying) Litigation Organized Protest Influence Elections (PACs)

4. Lobbying Direct or indirect attempt to influence policy makers Lobbyist – generally defined as one who receives compensation to influence legislative action  Must register in some states  In 1990, 42,500 registered lobbyists in all states  Many states require lobbyists to report income, expenses, legislation supported or opposed Number of national-level interest group organizations in the US:  1959: 5,843  1970: 10,308  1980: 14,726  Mid-1990s: 22,200

5. Lobbying Lobbyists provide a service to legislators  Inform legislators how a bill will impact state and/or legislative district Effective lobbyists represent important groups that have well mobilized memberships  Lay groundwork for legislators consideration of specific bills

6. Lobbying Grassroots lobbying  Mobilization of citizens to contact public officials regarding public policy views Mail, fax, email, telephone calls Citizen groups, unions, religious/charitable orgs, corporations, trade and professional associations

7. Limits on Lobbying Many states limit personal gifts to legislators or their families 1946 Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act: to allow the gov ’ t to monitor lobbying activities, require lobbyists to register with gov ’ t and disclose salaries, expenses, activities. (not strictly enforced) Lobbying Disclosure Act (1995): tightened old rules, expanded what needed to be reported Ethics in Gov ’ t Act (1978): former legislators must wait a year before lobbying Congress directly, although they may lobby the executive branch and consult interest groups. Former executive officials can ’ t lobby the agency they worked for for 5 years.

8. Limits on Lobbying under Obama Bans aides from trying to influence the administration when they leave his staff. Those already hired are banned from working on matters they have previously lobbied on, or to approach agencies they once targeted Bans lobbyists from giving gifts of any size to any member of his administration Anyone who leaves the administration cannot try to influence former friends or colleagues for at least 2 years

9. Lobbying Database (From www.opensecrets.org)www.opensecrets.org Number of Lobbyists 199810,689 199913,704 200012,760 200112,075 200212,343 200313,170 200413,415 200514,547 200615,572 200715,798 200817,170 200913,394 201012,964 201111,674* Total Lobbying Spending 1998$1.44 Billion 1999$1.43 Billion 2000$1.53 Billion 2001$1.62 Billion 2002$1.81 Billion 2003$2.04 Billion 2004$2.17 Billion 2005$2.41 Billion 2006$2.60 Billion 2007$2.82 Billion 2008$3.30 Billion 2009$3.49 Billion 2010$3.51 Billion 2011$1.67 Billion* *Through the 2nd Quarter

10. Types of Interest Groups 1. Economic/Business Groups - Chamber of Commerce, industry groups, trade assns, financial institutions, regulated utilities, professional orgs (AMA, ABA), labor orgs (AFL- CIO), etc. 2. Public Interest/Sector: Common Cause, NAACP, Sierra Club, Green Peace, etc. 3. Ideological or single-issue: NRA, Christian Coalition. 4. Foreign Policy: Council on Foreign Relations, American- Israel Political Action Committee 5. Think Tanks: nonprofit institutions that conduct research on issues of public interest. Ex: Brookings Institution 6. Governmental: state and local governments. Examples: National Governor ’ s Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors

11. Major Organized Interest Groups

12. Economic Interest Groups PACs That Gave the Most to Federal Candidates, 2000-2004 (Millions of Dollars)

13. Public Sector Interest Groups Interest groups such as Greenpeace stage demonstrations to call attention to environmental issues

14. Some Environmental Groups and How They Do Business

15. Ideological or Single-Interest Groups The Christian Coalition distributes voter guides before elections as one means of influencing politics

16. The National Rifle Association After the Columbine High School tragedy, public opinion solidly favored stricter gun laws NRA spent $3 million to fight gun control bills Gun control legislation did not pass

17. Foreign Policy Interest Group Some interest groups focus on foreign policy issues, such as U.S. aid to Israel in light of Israel’s construction of a separation wall along the West Bank

18. Union Membership in the United States Compared to Other Countries

19. Negative Impact of Interest Groups- The “ Revolving Door ” The Revolving Door — the movement of individuals back and forth between the private sector and the public sector — takes three forms: * The Industry-to-Government Revolving Door, through which the appointment of corporate executives and business lobbyists to key posts in federal agencies establishes a pro-business bias in policy formulation and regulatory enforcement; * The Government-to-Industry Revolving Door, through which public officials move to lucrative private sector roles from which they may use their experience to compromise government procurement, regulatory policy and the public interest; and * The Government-to-Lobbyist Revolving Door, through which former lawmakers and executive-branch officials use their inside connections to advance the interests of corporate clients.

20. Political Action Committees Raise and distribute campaign funds to candidates for elective office Narrowly focused interest groups Grew out of laws prohibiting corporations and labor orgs. from making direct contributions to candidates Federal Election Campaign (1974): allowed corporations, unions, and trade associations to form PACs

21. Political Action Committees Contributions from PAC ’ s 45% business, 25% employees, 14% non-economic, 12% professional, 3% agriculture  Health care dominates professional PACs  Non-economic PACs generally are single issue groups Anti-abortion, anti-gambling Currently over 4,000 PACs registered PACs contribute mostly to House campaigns, and mostly to incumbents who are likely to win reelection Concern over potential influence of PACs on political process; greater regulation placed on PAC contributions

22. Political Action Committee Contribution Rules Money must come from at least 50 contributors and they must donate to at least 5 candidates A PAC can give $5,000 to any candidate committee per election: primary, general, or special Can give up to $15,000 annually to any national party committee Can give $5,000 annually to any other PAC PACs may be given up to $5,000 from any one individual, PAC or party committee per calendar year

23. Top 20 PAC Contributors to Candidates, 2009-2010 PAC NameTotal Amount Dem.% Rep. % Honeywell International $2,968,600 54% 46% AT&T Inc $2,779,875 48% 52% Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $2,608,873 98% 2% National Beer Wholesalers Assn $2,495,000 56% 44% American Assn for Justice $2,357,000 97% 3% American Bankers Assn $2,133,930 38% 62% Operating Engineers Union $2,104,300 89% 10% International Assn of Fire Fighters $1,932,000 83% 16% National Assn of Realtors $1,916,798 59% 41% American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees $1,914,500 99% 0%