Progressive States Network was in attendance last week at the National Conference of State Legislatures, and they passed on a WSJ report that many of the 6,000 conference-goers in Nashville were lobbyists, making the NCSL itself a "Lobbying Loophole." Lobbyist-sponsored events apparently dominated conference free time, including reserving whole restaurants, sports events, golf outings, and special tours for legislative delegations.
Lobbyists scratched legislators backs last week; we'll see how legislators return the favor later.
Definitely a lot of lobbyists there (of all political persuasions), but as a staff member, I found the conference to be very informative on key policy issues, particularly the ever-growing federal fiscal crisis.
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