This is the Season of the Supplicants in the Capitol. They swarm the corridors wearing name tags decorated with the emblems and acronyms of their organizations, studying legislative office directories and rehearsing sales pitches. They capture banquet, meeting and display spaces in hotels and paper and e-mail legislators' offices with invitations to drop by for a snack, a sip and a sermon.
Some lawmakers say the hordes have grown larger and more insistent.
State ethics rules require interest groups to charge a nominal fee if lawmakers at their events are fed and watered. It isn't uncommon for two or more groups to stage events on the same day - and evening. The tavern league and petroleum marketers hosted lawmakers the same night in the same hotel and the Legislature seemed unusually well-oiled the next day. Events commonly start during the cocktail hour and feature stand-up grazing rather than asking lawmakers to sit down and eat. Bigger events feature bands and dancing.