Burn no bridges. There is always another battle to be fought, and today's enemy may be tomorrow's ally. The right to express an individual's, university's, or industry's views is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights in the U. S. Constitution. However, federal and state governments do regulate the activities of paid government relations professionals and their employers by requiring registration and the reporting of certain information. In the case of the federal government, these requirements apply to lobbying of members of Congress, as well as executive or regulatory officials.
State laws differ and, in some cases, are more stringent.
Be sure to understand what your state's requirements are. Citizens who are not paid professionals have a right to voluntarily contact anyone in federal, state or local governments on problems and issues affecting them, and particularly those legislators who represent their residences or university's locations. Expressions of opinion by voluntary grassroots program participants are widely accepted as being free of regulation or restraint. This site created by The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Education, Communication and Technology Web Team members, March 2000.