Comparing the Number of Lobbyists to Legislators

Comparing the Number of Lobbyists to Legislators By Chris Micheli

            Having wondered about this topic as a legislative geek, I did some quick research about the number of lobbyists compared to legislators in a number of jurisdictions. First, I looked at those at the federal and international levels. Then I turned to other states that had readily accessible information. And then I compared them to California.

            The following are the results:

European Union

720 legislators

12,425 registered lobbyists in 2022

Roughly 17:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

US Congress

535 legislators

13,037 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 24:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

New York

213 legislators

6,113 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 29:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Massachusetts

200 legislators

1,500 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 8:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Texas

181 legislators

2,000 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 11:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Oregon

90 legislators

1,100 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 12:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Michigan

148 legislators

1,500 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 10:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Wisconsin

132 legislators

750 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 6:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Colorado

100 legislators

1,100 registered lobbyists in 2022

Roughly 11:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Georgia

236 legislators

1,144 registered lobbyists in 2022

Roughly 5:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

Virginia

140 legislators

1,108 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 8:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

California

120 legislators

3,245 registered lobbyists in 2024

Roughly 27:1 ratio of lobbyist to legislator

            As can be seen from the summary data above, California has one of the highest number of lobbyist to legislator ratios of all jurisdictions, which is nearly two or three times that of many states.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Frequently Asked Questions about California’s Budget Process

Frequently Asked Questions about California’s Budget Process  By Chris Micheli             What are the main parts of the California state budget? They are the Budget Bill, Budget Bill Junior, Trailer Bills, and Supplemental Reports.             What is the Budget Bill? This bill contains the appropriations and “Budget Bill Language”. Note that only a Budget Bill (or BBJ) can contain multiple appropriations. It requires a majority vote for passage and the bill takes effect immediately. There is just one Budget Bill. What is the “Budget Bill Jr.”? This is the bill that amends the main Budget Bill by making changes to multiple appropriations. There are often multiple BBJs. What is a Trailer Bill? This bill makes the statutory changes needed to implement the budget. It is the same as any other bill, but it takes effect immediately with a majority vote if it contain...
Read more

Frequently Asked Questions about Comparing California Government to Those of Other States

Frequently Asked Questions about Comparing California Government to Those of Other States  By Chris Micheli Is California’s form of government different from the other states? No, California state government is not unique among the other states. All 50 states provide for a republican form of government in their individual constitutions. Do the states follow the federal government’s structure with three branches? Yes, all of the states are based upon the federal government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. How is California’s legislative branch of state government structured? California’s Legislature is comprised of two houses - State Assembly and State Senate. The Assembly has 80 members elected every two years and the Senate has 40 members elected every four years Are all state legislative branches bicameral? With one exception (Nebraska), all states are bicameral and they all have upper and lower houses of differing sizes. What is the range ...
Read more

Comparing California’s Constitution

Comparing California’s Constitution  By Chris Micheli             The State of California’s Constitution was ratified on May 7, 1879. California’s first constitution was ratified on November 13, 1849, which was prior the state’s admission into the United States in 1850. Since its enactment in 1879, the California Constitution has been amended over 500 times. California’s Constitution is about 75,000 words in length.             By comparison, the constitution for the State of Alabama has about 389,000 words and it also considered to be the most amended of any state constitution, with close to 1,000 amendments since its adoption. The United States Constitution has just about 4,600 words. It has been amended 27 times.             Compared to the constitutions of other countries, the Constitution of India has 146,385...
Read more