Lobbying in the Political Process

California voters in recent years have addressed the issue of lobbying in Sacramento in an effort to curtail the influence that lobbyists can command and the amount of money they can spend to influence the votes of legislators. It is arguable how effective these efforts have been given the continuing influx of money from lobbyists and evidence from an FBI investigation that lobbyists are still able to buy votes even to the point of outright bribery and graft. California Assemblyman Tom Hayden has announced a campaign to change the lobbying situation in California forever and has been seeking support to accomplish this.

One of the major attempts to change the pattern of lobbying in the California legislature came in 1974 with the passage of Proposition 9. Passage of the proposition did not end the fight over it, for the vote was followed by five years of litigation, lawsuits, and much confusion and uncertainty. Finally, the California Supreme Court rendered a final decision. The decision struck down the lobbyist campaign contribution ban but upheld the entertainment limits placed on lobbyists. Proposition 9 wa

Related Essays

National Rifle Association Lobbying Efforts .... Truman, in The Governmental Process, writes, with respect to lobbying groups in .... in Honest Graft: Big Money and the American Political Process, details the .... (4684 19 )

Power in the Political Process .... By voting for their representatives, lobbying lawmakers, encouraging others to .... In all aspects of the political process--political parties, mass communications .... (2207 9 )

Interest Groups and Their Influence .... evident that special interest groups are extremely effective for lobbying Congress because they are experienced with the ins and outs of the political process. .... (2563 10 )

The California Legislature .... DeBow 1-2). The corrupting influence of money on the political process was the .... is not evenly divided throughout society or even within the lobbying community; 3 .... (2062 8 )

Lobbying & the American Governmental System .... format, and can be placed in the political context of the democratic process as an integral part of political synthesizing and .... None dare call it lobbying. .... (3820 15 )

Category: Government - L