Nearly half of the lobbyists who were registered with Congress in 2011 and then went “inactive” in 2012 remained with the same employer, and many continued to influence public policy, according to a study released Wednesday.
The finding by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics illustrates a factor behind the recent decline in federally reported lobbying fees and the number of active lobbyists on K Street: Professionals are taking on roles that leave no public trail because their activities fall outside the scope of disclosure laws.