Working and living in Washington, DC, lobbyists are no uncommon sight. K Street, where numerous lobbying firms are traditionally located, has become a metonym for the lobbying industry in general.
A “lobbyist” is defined under federal law as
any individual who is employed or retained by a client for financial or other compensation for services that include more than one lobbying contact, other than an individual whose lobbying activities constitute less than 20 percent of the time engaged in the services provided by such individual to that client over a 3-month period. (2 U.S.C. § 1602).
In the United States, the Lobbying Disclosure Act mandates registration of all such individuals with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Likewise, the Foreign Agents Registration Act requires persons acting as agents of “foreign principals” (mostly foreign governments and foreign political parties) to register with the Department of Justice.