VP of Governmental Affairs

SCSHA Lobbyist

Heather Smith
[email protected]

What does our lobbyist do?

Although lobbyists can open doors for you, a good lobbyist will do a lot more than that.  Lobbyists can offer a whole range of services, including:

• Setting Goals
• You really should already know what your goals are before you talk to any lobbyists.  But lobbyists can help translate your goals (which may be business-oriented or end-results-oriented) into goals that make sense in the context of the government.
• Strategy, Timing, & Focus
• Help you develop a strategy and focus your efforts where they’ll be most successful at the proper time.
• Education
• Educate you on government processes, regulations, & potential traps (like numerous conflict-of-interest laws).
• Representation
• Represent you and your interests to the government, so you don’t have to be there in person doing it yourself most of the time.
• Relationships
• Help you develop relationships with people in government that can help you achieve your goals.
• Champions
• Find and support “champions” within the government who are willing to push for your objectives from within.
• Legislation
• Support your legal and political interests in new laws considered and enacted by Congress.
• Note that lobbyists do a lot of work writing actual legislation.  They often propose text for new laws and give it to Congressional staffers (who are more than happy to have someone else do the work for them).  So, a good lobbyist can help get laws written with specific language that meets your objectives.
• Appropriations
• Seek funding for specific projects or interests.
• Delivery
• Navigate the processes, politics, and regulations to successfully deliver a project after you’ve succeeded in getting it.