Marie Republican Rep. Scott Shackleton said they are part of the demands of being a legislator. It's fun for the first week. I mean, come on, I'd much rather be up north with my family than down here going to these. It's part of the job. These lobbyists tell how a bill could affect small businesses, farmers, hunters, the people back home, Shackleton said.
People say things about special interests.
If anything, Gregory said, lobbyists bring reality to the Legislature. Our job is to provide real-world information. We're paid by those real world people. The legislators then weigh all the interests to make their decision. Also, many of these functions include people from lawmakers home districts.