When Bill Kenton was House speaker, he once called the committee system the “bedrock” of the legislature. The committees are little legislatures where most of the work is done, and lobbying them compared to the full House or Senate is a no-brainer.
It’s easier to lobby 21 members of a committee than 100 members on the floor of the House, or 38 members on the floor of the Senate. Besides, at least 75 percent of the bills passed on the floor are not amended on the floor — they pass in the same form they came out of committee. So, do all the work you can up front in the committees.
The committees are made up of members who often represent special interests: insurance agents serve on the insurance committee, bankers serve on the banking committee, farmers on the agriculture committee and so on, because they have expertise in those subjects.
Joe Clarke emphasized that a committee chairman’s power is paramount, and the chairmen work together and favor one another throughout the session.
“A lot of times people would ask me to help them with their bill, and I’d say, “Look to see where your bill goes,” said Clarke.
If the bill was going to be assigned to a committee that he didn’t serve on, Clarke said, “I’d tell them to get a good, strong legislator on the committee (where the bill’s going) to be the sponsor.”
A chairman’s view
Jim Bruce, a former state representative, served many years as chairman of the House Banking and Insurance Committee.
While Bruce conceded, “it’s a hard job being a lobbyist,” because of the many things a lobbyist needs to know and do, he made it seem simple.
His first piece of advice to lobbyists — freshman or veteran — was: “Go talk with the leadership of the House or Senate. Talk with the committee chairman, and talk with the members of the committee — in that order.”
[More in the book.]
