Ellen Engstedt - May 07, 2007
Montana Wood Products Association
Lobbyists
There have been many rantings the past couple of years about lobbyists and how powerful and even evil we are. Yes, I said we, because I am a registered lobbyist and work on behalf of the Montana Wood Products Association, a trade group comprised of members in the business of adding value to timber by manufacturing products. We have 16 member companies that employ thousands of Montanans.
Most of the lobbyists I know only spend a small portion of their time actually in the act of influencing the outcome of legislation proposed by elected officials on behalf of their constituents. Many of us spend the bulk of our time in association management setting up and conducting meetings, developing conventions, and watching out for the best interests of our employers.
The lobby community is known as the third house of the Legislature. And, legislators and others we work with will be among the first to say lobbyists provide a very valuable resource – facts about a given topic. Our chief goal is providing education to those who make the decisions and frankly I am proud to be part of the process in helping develop good public policy.
The comments about lobbyists only promoting a “special interest” are really very lame. Of course, I promote the interests that are special to my members and so does every other lobbyist. The “special interests” represented at both the state and federal levels of government include health care, education, civil liberties, environment, banks, sportsmen, and a multitude of others. We even have citizen lobbyists who come to Helena for a special cause they might have and they do the same things the rest of us do – talk to legislators and other elected officials.
In fact, it is extremely difficult to come up with a single person living in Montana who is not in some manner represented by a “special interest lobbyist” whether they know it or not. If you belong to an association, environmental group, or sportsmen entity, there is a lobbyist who represents you when you do not physically come to town and represent yourself. Even the state itself registers employees to lobby during the Legislature because Montana is promoting ideas or programs deemed worthy by the executive branch of government.
While disparaging comments about lobbyists are thrown around in the media, the many people I work with are professionals who are strong advocates for their principals. The reason there are lobbyists is because not every person in the state can attend hearings and meetings relating to legislation that will affect their personal and business lives. I and one other individual represent the interests of the timber community. Over 9,000 Montana families work in our industry and they are entitled to do what they love without undue regulation and over the top taxes.
Most lobbyists prefer the legislative process to be proactive because there is a good feeling attached to positive public policy that benefits everyone. Unfortunately, the past couple of sessions have entailed many assaults on businesses in the form of tax collection, costly regulatory schemes, and infringement on private property rights. All of these impact every Montana resident because in order for the economy to be healthy, the business climate must be positive. In order for the well paying jobs associated with the timber industry, the facilities and contractors must be able to operate without feeling under siege by draconian government policies.
When we are not lobbying, some of us in the association business even raise money through political action committees or PACs as they are commonly called. PAC contributions cannot be from companies or businesses, so the money we raise comes from individuals who live and work in Montana not big out-of-state corporations as is erroneously reported by some. The hard earned dollars raised by our PAC are then contributed to individuals running for state offices and who have a favorable view on our issues.
The next time a loose comment about lobbyists and PACs is thrown about, you might want to think about who those folks are, who they represent and remember they are an important component to good government.
On behalf of the members of the Montana Wood Products Association based in Helena, I am Ellen Engstedt. Thanks for listening.
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