1

 This report was originally authored by Mari-Jana “M-J” Oboroceanu, who no longer covers this

issue.

Order Code RS20725

Updated May 9, 2008

Lobbyists and Interest Groups: 

 Sources of Information

Zina L. Watkins

Information Research Specialist

Knowledge Services Group

Summary

Lobbyists and interest groups play an active role in the American legislative

process. Information on lobbyist registrations and on interest groups in general is

available from a variety of online and printed sources, including files available for

public inspection.

This report is a guide for locating governmental sources that maintain files on

lobby groups, their registrations, and finances. Also included in this report are

nongovernmental sources that offer background information on the lobbyists and

interest groups who focus on legislation in Washington. Many of the works listed are

available to congressional staff in the Jefferson and La Follette Congressional Reading

Rooms, CRS research centers, and to constituents in large public and research libraries.

This report1 will be updated yearly or if current lobbying regulations are changed

by Congress. Current legislative proposals related to lobbying disclosure are discussed

in CRS Report RL34008, Lobbying Reform Legislation: Side by Side Analysis of

Lobbying Provisions in S. 1 and H. R. 2316, 110th Congress, by Jack Maskell.

Introduction

The Lobbying and Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA), P.L. 104-65, 109 Stat. 691 (1995)

as amended by the Lobbying Disclosure Technical Amendments Act, P.L. 105-166, 112

Stat. 38 (1998), requires lobbyists to register with the Clerk of the House and Secretary

of the Senate and to make semiannual reports of their activities. These reports identify
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2

 A “client” is defined under LDA as any person or entity that employs and compensates another

person to conduct lobbying activities on behalf of that person or entity. A coalition or association

may also be listed as a client. LDA does not require information on the specific membership of

these groups to be disclosed. Some observers suggest that this could allow entities to shield their

lobbying activities through the use of ostensibly separate, independent coalitions and

associations. Consequently, when the client is an association or coalition, the interested parties

may not be identified in LDA disclosure reports. For further information, see CRS Report

RL31126, Lobbying Congress: An Overview of Legal Provisions and Congressional Ethics

Rules, by Jack Maskell.

the name of the registrant (firm or individual), client,2 and broad issue area in which

lobbying was carried out.

Both the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate

receive and maintain the lobby registrations and semiannual disclosure reports of those

filing as lobbyists under the LDA. The offices also maintain the records previously

required under the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946. That law was repealed

by the LDA.

Governmental Sources

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Legislative Resource Center

B106 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515-0515

(202) 226-5200

The filings beginning with 1989 to present are available for public inspection at the

location given above. The House website [http://lobbyingdisclosure.house.gov/] provides

information about the records but does not provide online access to the records

themselves.

Secretary of the Senate

Office of Public Records

232 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510-7116

(202) 224-0758

The Senate Office of Public Records provides onsite access to the public to filings

beginning with 1996 at the location given above. The filings beginning with 1998 are

available on its website at [http://sopr.senate.gov].

FARA Registration Unit Public Office

U.S. Department of Justice

FARA Registration Unit

1400 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 100

Washington, DC 20005

(202) 514-1145
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The Department of Justice’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit receives

registrations and financial information of agents representing foreign governments or

political parties in the United States as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act

of 1938, as amended. The records can be inspected by the public at the above address.

Online lobbyist registrations can be accessed at [http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fara/

links/search.html]. Currently FARA semiannual reports to Congress available online date

back to1997, and the most recent one is dated December 31, 2005.

GPO Access

GPO Access User Support Team

Superintendent of Documents

U.S. Government Printing Office

732 North Capitol Street, N.W., Mail Stop: SDE

Washington, DC 20401

(202) 512-1530; main GPO telephone (866) 512-1800

GPO Access provides online access to the Congressional Record Index, which can

be used to search for pre-1996 lobbyist registrations at [http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cri/

index.html]. Also available are the full texts of many legislative resources, including the

Congressional Record.

Legislative Information System (LIS)

User Support can be obtained by calling: 

CRS Hotline: (202) 707-7100

Senate Library (202) 224-7106

House Call Center (202) 225-6002

GAO Library (202) 512-2585

LIS is the legislative and congressional information system available to the Capitol

Hill Intranet users at [http://www.congress.gov]. It provides access to a variety of

academic, commercial, and governmental information sources. Among its contents is the

full text from 1989 to present of the Congressional Record, in which periodic listings of

lobbyists registrations were printed before 1996.

Nongovernmental Sources

American League of Lobbyists (ALL)

P.O. Box 30005

Alexandria, VA 22310

(703) 960-3011

The American League of Lobbyists is a membership group of registered lobbyists

and other professionals interested in lobbying. It works to improve the public image of

lobbyists, monitors lobby legislation, and conducts educational programs on the role of

lobbyists. The ALL website can be accessed at [http://www.alldc.org].

The Capital Source. Washington, National Journal Group, Inc. (Annual)

This directory provides limited coverage of government, media, and corporate

officials. Its sections on interest groups, trade and professional associations, and political
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consulting and lobbying firms list some Washington-based lobbying groups, with contact

information and executive directors’ names. The list is arranged alphabetically by the

name of the lobbying firm and does not contain areas of specialties.

Center for Responsive Politics (CRP)

1101 14th Street, N.W., Suite 1030

Washington, D.C. 20005-5635

(202) 857-0044

This website [http://www.opensecrets.org/lobbyists/index.asp] provides access to

Influence, Inc., CRP’s annual lobbying report. It gives year-to-year comparisons of

lobbying spending on Capitol Hill, background on the issue, lists of top spenders, and

includes the political spending patterns of various industries. It also gives an industry-byindustry spending breakdown and has a searchable database of individual lobbyists,

lobbying firms, and client businesses.

Encyclopedia of Associations. Farmington Hills, MI, Gale Group. (Annual)

This multi-volume listing of nonprofit American membership organizations of

national scope is arranged by broad categories. It gives details on the location, size,

objectives, and other aspects of some 22,000 trade associations, professional societies,

interest groups, labor unions, and fraternal and patriotic organizations. It contains name,

geographical, executive, and keyword indexes.

Government Affairs Yellow Book: Who’s Who in Government Affairs. Washington,

Leadership Directories, Inc. (Semiannual)

This directory profiles more than 22,000 government affairs experts who represent

the interests of businesses, professional organizations, interest groups, and government

institutions before federal, state, and local governments. Private organizations are listed

alphabetically. Federal government organizations are listed alphabetically by department,

and by agency. State, city, and county government sections are organized alphabetically

by state, city, and county names, respectively. Each listing gives the organization’s name;

address; contact; organizational description; any political action committee; the

Washington, DC, office’s address and telephone number; lobbying firms representing the

group on the federal, state, and municipal levels; and other pertinent details. This

extensive listing provides subject, geographical, name, and organization indexes.

Government Affairs Yellow Book is available online to subscribers as part of The

Leadership Library on the Internet. This online resource that is updated daily can be

accessed at [http://www.leadershipdirectories.com].

Legal Times: Law and Lobbying in the Nation’s Capital. Washington, Legal Times,

part of American Lawyer Media, Inc. (Weekly)

This newspaper has articles on Washington’s law and lobbying communities. In

June 2000, Legal Times launched its biweekly newsletter, Influence: The Business of

Lobbying. It focuses on the business of lobbying, ranging from firm assignments and

earnings to business strategies and mergers. Influence can be found on the Web as

Influence Online at [http://www.influence.biz]. It has detailed lobby firm profiles and

same-day reporting on new lobby registrations. Several portions of this electronic
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resource are available only to subscribers, such as a biweekly newsletter, 24-hour access

to Influence Online, and e-mail alerts on the latest registrations and breaking news.

LexisNexis Group

P.O. Box 933

Dayton, OH 45401-0933

(800) 227-9597

Lexis-Nexis subscribers have access to full-text coverage of the Congressional

Record, which can be searched online for lobbyist registrations filed from1985 to1996 at

[http://www.lexisnexis.com].

National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States. Washington,

Columbia Books, Inc. (Annual)

This directory lists more than 7,500 trade associations, labor unions, professional

societies, and similar national groups. Many have offices in Washington, DC, that lobby

on federal legislation of interest to their members. Among the details provided for each

group are its annual budget, a brief history, and dates and sites of its annual conventions.

It contains subject, geographic, budget, executive, and acronym indexes.

Public Interest Group Profiles. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, Inc. (Biennial)

This selective guide to more than 200 public interest and policy groups has been

compiled by the Foundation for Public Affairs, which maintains a national, nonpartisan

clearinghouse on public interest groups and corporate public affairs programs

cooperatively with the Public Affairs Council. Each group’s profile includes basic details,

as well as ratings of effectiveness and political orientation. Profiles are grouped into 12

subject categories.

Washington. Washington, Columbia Books, Inc. (Annual)

This work provides information on nearly 5,000 businesses, government agencies,

national associations, international and national affairs organizations, law firms, and

cultural organizations in the Washington, DC, area. It is arranged by broad subject

categories, with brief listings of key officials in each entry. It also has a “National

Affairs” section, which is a selective list of nonprofit activist organizations and special

interest lobbying groups in the Washington area. 

Washington Information Directory. Washington, Congressional Quarterly, Inc.

(Annual)

This guide to Washington, DC, area governmental and private organizations is

arranged in 20 broad subject areas. Under each area, pertinent federal departments and

agencies, congressional committees, and private nonprofit organizations are listed. 

Washington Representatives. Washington, Columbia Books, Inc. (Annual)

This is a list of 17,000 Washington contacts of U.S. trade associations, professional

societies, labor unions, corporations, and various special interest and public interest
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groups. This source has three main sections: the firms and the organizations they

represent, the clients being represented, and the people who work for the firms or the

listed organizations. In addition, Washington Representatives has four indexes. The first

index is organized by clients by subject/industry. The second index helps the user to

research foreign clients by country. The third index provides information on PACs

(political action committees). The fourth index guides the user in the legislative areas and

provides help in identifying clients and firms working in particular legislative issues.

Washington Representatives can be accessed online at [http://www.lobbyists.info].

However, the searchable database is only available to subscribers.