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Unique Lobbyist Identifiers

The issue of unstandardized lobbyist data poses significant challenges in accurately identifying lobbyists. Discrepancies in counts reveal inconsistencies, such as 13,600 lobbyists reported by the Senate versus 12,000 by OpenSecrets. The complexity is further compounded by people sharing names, name changes due to marriage or divorce, and employment shifts. These factors create confusion in tracking lobbyists and understanding their influence. The Lobbying Disclosure Act (HLOGA) aims to address these concerns, but improvements in data transparency and standardization are still needed to enhance accountability.

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Unique Lobbyist Identifiers

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  1. Unique Lobbyist Identifiers Sarah Bryner, Center for Responsive Politics

  2. Defining the Problem • Lobbyist data, provided by House and Senate, is unstandardized. • Impossible to tell whether… Bryner, Sarah Bryner, Sarah

  3. The problem, cont. • Different counts on the # of lobbyists. • 13,600 from the Senate • 12,000 from OpenSecrets • Cohen, Stephen = Cohen, Steve = Cohen, Stephen A?

  4. Same name, different people Many Faces John Smith & John J. Smith John Q. Smith

  5. One Face Many Names, One Person Meg Jones Meg Taylor Jones Megan T. Jones Megan S. Taylor-Jones

  6. Who’s Who? • Lobbyists get married, change their names • Lobbyists get divorced, change their names • Lobbyists change employers, move in and out of government

  7. Why this Matters HLOGA passed

  8. Why this matters?

  9. What can be done?

  10. What can be done? New Column Here Lobbyist ID!

  11. Old Data…

  12. New Data!

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