Lobbyist De-Registrations On The Rise

Lobbyists this year terminated their registrations with the federal government in unusually high numbers, according to a study by the Center for Responsive Politics and OMB Watch.

The study found that 1,418 lobbyists de-registered during the second quarter of 2009 -- a sharp increase from 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. The jump in de-registrations is a part of a larger trend since the beginning of 2008 when the number of lobbyists filing termination reports began outpacing the number of new registrations. Since January 2008, 18,315 lobbyists have filed termination reports.

CRP and OMB report that typically just a few hundred lobbyists terminate their registration each quarter.

The decline in registered lobbyists, however, doesn't necessarily translate into fewer people working to influence policy. At the federal level, many lobbyists avert disclosure requirements under the Lobbying Disclosure Act by working under titles such as "senior adviser."

The drop could likely be attributed to the Obama administration's new policies on lobbyists. The president issued an executive order earlier this year forbidding lobbyists from serving in executive branch positions. In September, Norm Eisen, White House ethics adviser, sent out an email to executive branch agencies recommending that lobbyists no longer be appointed to advisory boards and committees.

All told, there have been 18,315 lobbyist termination reports filed since January 2008. Meanwhile, only 15,310 lobbyists became active again after previously filing termination reports. This leaves a total of 3,005 lobbyists who have effectively "de-registered," of which more than half (1,691) have come since April 2009.