lobbying

Lobbying is the act of attempting to impact or sway governance, such as policymaking, legislation, administrative action, or other ballot issues. Lobbying can occur while laws are pending or being processed. Individuals who engage in lobbying on behalf of their employer/client and are compensated for their efforts are known as lobbyists. Lobbyist firms are businesses that are hired to lobby on behalf of a client for a particular area of interest or industry.

There are two types of lobbying, direct and grassroots.

Direct lobbying is communication with a legislator, staff or any government employee with participation in forming legislation. Communication under direct lobbying is about a specific legislation and the lobbyist’s view of that legislation.
Grassroots lobbying, also referred to as a “Call to Action” involves public encouragement to contact legislatures/policymakers. Communication under grassroots lobbying identifies a specific piece of legislation, expresses the lobbyist’s view of specific legislation, and encourages recipients to join lobbying efforts.

Federal lobbying in the United States is regulated by the Federal Lobbying Act of 1995, which requires registration and disclosure of lobbying activities.

[Last reviewed in April of 2026 by the Wex Definitions Team]

Wex