Extra cridet PS 202
PS 202: State and Local Government
Interest Groups
Interest Groups: Organizations of like-minded individuals
who seek to influence specific policies, not control
government or elect members
• Objective is to influence decisions made by elected bodies
through participation and pressure
• Give specific voice to minority interests;
• Success is measured in terms of getting the group’s
preferences enacted or blocking actions that are detrimental
to them
• They come in all different sizes and types
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Types of Interest Groups There are 4 common types of interest groups represented in each state::
1. Economic/Business Groups: Chambers of Commerce; industry groups; and
financial institution • Most numerous and powerful • Legislative actions can cost or save their members money
2. Professionally Motivated Groups :, Health Care-related association,
Building/Contractors Associations; Lawyers Groups and other certified or licensed professionals
• Have economic and turf struggles with competitive professions, such as physical therapists versus nurse practitioners or public versus private universities.
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Types of Interest Groups
3. Public Interest groups/Ideological Groups: OSPRIG, Friends of the Gorge; Oregon Family Council
• Seek to promote their view of the public good, but do not have a direct economic interest or professional interest
• Public interest groups and ideological groups often grab headlines because of the emotional and volatile nature of their positions on issues such as tax cuts, restrictions on abortion or sexual preferences.
• Despite the emotional nature of the issues, most successful in blocking change than in creating major new policies.
4. Government Agencies: Agency or contract lobbyists are regular participants in the legislative process
• Agency heads regularly testify before legislative committees. • Provide policy background, budget data and other information for
legislators on agency missions, activities and needs.. • Permanent associations like the League of Oregon Cities, the
Association of Oregon Counties, and the Confederation of School Administrators enhance the influence of local governments.
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Interest Group Influence and Power • Interest groups power ebbs and flows in states, with groups playing
a dominant role in some instances and not in others depending on
strength of political parties and legislatures.
• In a state with weak political parties, interest groups often assume
roles performed by political parties in other states: aggregating
issues, mobilizing voters, and providing leadership.
• States with citizen legislatures have strong interest groups
– In the absence of full time legislative service and staff, elected officials rely
on interest groups for issue education; relationship building; and approval.
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Interest Group Influence and Power in Oregon
• The groups with reputations for having the greatest clout in
Oregon Legislature include: • Association of Oregon Industries (business sector);
• Oregon State Restaurant Association (business sector);
• Oregon Hospital Association (Health Care sector);
• Oregon Farm Bureau (Agricultural sector):
• Oregon Bar Association/Oregon Trial Lawyers Assn. (Lawyers);
• Oregon Education Association (education); and
• Oregon AFL-CIO, 153 (union).
• This resembles the general patterns of influence in state capitols
across the country.
• These groups are particularly successful because they are
the “regulars” in day-to-day lobbying.
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Interest groups power ebbs and flows depending on:
• Ability to effectively organize and exert pressure on elected officials;
– Lead to hiring lobbyist = policy maker relations
– Forming coalitions with common interests
• PSU Kitchen Table/ “The Oregon Group”; “United Financial Lobby”
• Degree of necessity of group services & resources to public officials;
• Defensive or offensive;
• Extent and strength of group opposition;
• Financial resources;
• Size and geographical distribution;
• Cohesive of membership;
• Political, organizational, and managerial skills;
• Timing and political climate – during certain party control, or issues of concern
(some interest groups have greater access);
• Legitimacy of the group and demands – perception; and
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Role of interest groups Interest groups perform a number of roles in the electoral process.
First, they lead to representation. • People join interest groups quite often because of shared interests and a willingness to talk about them.
• For this reason interest groups represent the interests of their members.
Second, they encourage participation. • Encourage and mobilize potential members into joining to increase numbers.
Third, they educate • Legislators often do not have the time or resources to explore the intricacies of ever aspect policy
aspect, particularly in citizen legislature.
• Professional & business groups will know more about various policies &can educate elected officials.
Fourth, they agenda building.
• They bring new issues to the forefront of public debate.
Fifth, they monitor programs. • Lobbyists employed by the group get paid to follow programs that are relevant to the group.
• For example Consumer watchdog and industry groups monitor programs, if they do not meet the
expectations, then such groups will prod and push public officials to do something about it.
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Interest Group Tactics:
1. Public Relations
2. Lobbying/Lobbyists
3. Direct Action/Grassroots
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
1. Public Relations: • Interest groups need to cultivate a good public image in
order to accomplish goals. • Depending upon agenda and goals, groups need to work to
develop relationships with constitutes.
Interest Group Tactics
During legislative session, lobbyists line the rotunda, set-up mobile office spaces in phone booths, in waiting areas outside of members office and in the back row of the hearing rooms, just for an opportunity to get the members attention.
For lobbyists, it is not just about getting what you want, it knowing how and when to kill a bill; slide in an amendment; or throw up a road block.
Want to watch lobbyists work – go to Goudy at lunch; Magoo’s for happy hour; or Jonathan’s for dinner.
It is all about relationships, lobbying is about relationships.
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Interest Group Tactics
2. Lobbying/Lobbyist
– Lobbying: It is the process by which groups and individuals attempt to influence policy makers.
How lobbyists “lobby” on behalf of interest groups:
- Provide technical and political information
- May provide by direct comments and testimony or bring in speakers
- May lobby by mobilizing outside political pressure
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Interest Group Tactics
Lobbyist: Anyone receiving compensation to influence
legislative action – require registration in most states.
– Exclude public officials, members of the media, citizen
activists who testify before committees.
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Types of Lobbyists
• General service professional:
– “hired guns”; large firms that represent diverse clients;
– Often employee legislators or executive staff because of access to
process, money, and people
• Single Interest professionals:
– national networks with specific in-state groups
– Oregon State Bar; Oregon Medical Assn; Farm Bureau Assn
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Types of Lobbyists • Citizen activists
• Oregon’s open-meeting laws give citizens relatively easy access to the
legislative process.
• Citizens can simply show up at a public hearing and sign in to testify before
a legislative committee. • Often hearing rooms overflow with citizen advocates taking time off from work
or school to be heard.
• There are many constituent lobby days when citizens rally on the capitol
front steps, followed by meetings with legislators.
• EX: Pro-Gun Rally; Education Funding; CRC
Open Meeting Laws: Require all meetings of the governing body of a public body to be open to the public and all persons shall be permitted to attend.
• Oregon requires an informed public, aware of the deliberations and decisions
of governing bodies and the information upon which such decisions were
made – decisions are to be made in the open.
• Require notice for hearings, executive session including location of
meetings; accommodation for person with disability;
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Lobbyist Activities:
• Provide information, not just policy, but media presentation and marketing – honesty and integrity matter
• Cultivate relationships, including with staff
– Establish connections with legislators to “in”
• Draft legislation
• Negotiate with other groups on legislation
• Establish relationships with campaigning/ fundraising, polling power, with lobbying – Give money to incumbents to a bill heard or not heard
– Business lobby general favors GOP and unions DEM, but it is not uncommon for groups to give to both parties.
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
• Lobbying has a reputation for corruption, bribery, political influence
and backroom dealing, while these are not without examples, lobbying
is an important role in the Legislative process.
• In an effort to address these concerns, states have enacted regulations
for lobbyists out of concern that they would exert undue influence on
the legislative process.
• Many state enact regulations after a legislator-lobbyist scandals comes
to light. • In 2007, the Oregon Legislature adopted the Oregon Ethics Reform Act
(OERA) following a public legislator-lobbyist scandal, involving
Hawaiian trips provided by the influential Beer and Wine Distributor.
• OERA addressed legislator and lobbyist behavior including increasing
transparency with new disclosure requirements for expenditures;
statements of economic interests and conflicts of interest.
Oregon Ethics Reform Act (OERA), 2007
• Purpose was to increase transparency by limiting gifts and
increasing all expenditures made by lobbyists.
OERA required to: • Lobbyists and firms to submit quarterly expenditure reports to the
Oregon Government Ethics Commission.
• Reports must include all moneys expended for food, refreshment,
and gifts of entertainment expenditures made on behalf of a
legislative or executive official of greater than $50 on a single
occasion.
• A person who has been a member of the Legislative Assembly may not
use or attempt to use the person's position as a former member of the
Legislative Assembly to obtain financial gain as a lobbyist as during the
period beginning on the date the person ceases to be a member of the
Legislative Assembly and ending on the date of adjournment sine die of
the next regular session of the Legislative Assembly.
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
3. Direct Action/Grassroots Lobbying •Members of groups use collective action to communicate goals to legislators.
•Techniques are designed to dramatize situation including: • Protest; Civil Disobedience
EX: Marches; sit-ins; and rally’s
• Urge membership to call, write, and email
•Citizen groups, unions, religious and non-profit groups employ grassroots technique
• Utilized because of lack of power/influence
•Use of violence or illegal activities discredit activities • EX: Climbing of flag poles/illegal occupancy of homes/ parks;
Terrorism, Intimidation
Direct Action/Grassroots Lobbying
• Success in direct action hinges on:
1) clarity of goal
2) proper direction of protest
3) ability to negotiate
4) reaction of officials
5) press coverage: quantity and tone
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Other Tools for Influencing Government: Administrative Procedures Act:
• Sets the process for agencies to develop rules and regulations needed for making law work within a particular agency.
The Basic purpose: 1. Require agencies to keep the public informed of their organization,
procedures and rules; • Notice of intent to make rule in Oregon State Bulletin
2. Provide for public participation in the rulemaking process; • Receive comments
3. Establish uniform standards for the conduct of formal rulemaking and adjudication;
4. Define the scope of judicial review; and
5. Publish rules.
Interest Groups: Types, objectives, and tactics
Campaigns
• Political parties and interest groups depend on each other during campaigns
– Parties want to get to candidates elected, groups want to get candidates favorable to them elected
• Modern campaigns rely on mass media, polling, and computerized and direct mailings to reach voters = $$$$
– Interest groups provide financial resources directly, indirectly, or with in-kind contributions to candidates, caucus PAC, or political party.
Political Parties and Interest Groups: Political Campaigns and Money