Daily Lobbying Data

Enacted by the 104th Congress of the United States in 1995, the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) required federal lobbyists to register with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate. This landmark piece of legislation demanded that all active registrants file quarterly activity reports incorporating relevant information such as revenue generated from lobbying clients, client industry, issues for which the client engaged in lobbying, federal agencies contacted, and more in order to maintain some level of transparency in lobbying activity.

In addition, the act defines many terms including what constitutes a “lobbying contract,” what type of company qualifies as a “lobbying firm,” and which individuals are designated as “lobbyists”. Officially, a “lobbyist” is an individual who spends 20 percent or more of their time on lobbyist activities. Additionally, each lobbying report is a pairing between a registrant and a client. Typically, the registrants are the lobbying firms and the clients are the firms or in some cases, individuals which lobbying firms represent. When the client and registrant are identical in a filing, we say that the entity uses in-house lobbyists to lobby, rather than hiring a firm on K Street, for example. In hundreds of lobbying reports, Lockheed Martin shows up as both a registrant and client, meaning that it uses internal “in-house” lobbyists to advocate for legislation. A quick cross reference search between our database and LinkedIn tells us that individuals who work as in-house lobbyists tend to have job titles like “Government Affairs Director”.

Lobbying in its basic form is communicating your position to your government representative, an extension of the first amendment and a form of free speech. The problems to which lobbying is generally associated with are problems that correspond with cracks in the political system. Members of congress that deliberately support policy which favors a corporation in order to secure high-paid private sector exit opportunities (join the Revolving Door), rather than supporting socially optimal policy, is one example of such cracks. The role of lobbying in a democracy becomes increasingly relevant as corporations draw more and more attention and scrutiny from the media and public for their actions. Understanding why a firm takes the decision to lobby and what factors create value in a lobbying contract can shed light on the rather clandestine practice and improve transparency.

A lobbying contract can report lobbying on 1 or more of 78 standardized issues as well as specific issues.

The Specific Issues supplied by most lobbying contracts are some of the most important pieces of information available to us – they tell us exactly which bills or legislation a client (any company, such as Apple Inc.) hires a registrant (lobbying firm) to lobby on.

Ex:

Client: Apple Inc.

Contract Type: 4th Quarter – Report

Registrant: Miller Strategies LLC

Specific Issue: Trade issues as they relate to technological goods and services. Issues as they relate to technological goods and services.

Some specific issues provide more information than others, so its important to keep watch of companies and their pursuit of political influence on the daily.

List of Standardized Issues:

A lobbying contract can report lobbying 1 or more of approximately 267 government agencies.

In our daily report, we focus on providing tables which highlight contracts that lobbied the:

1. White House
2. FDA
3. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
4. Department of Health & Human Services
5. Department of the Treasury
6. Department of Defense

List of government agencies:

1. AMTRAK – Natl Railroad Passenger Corporation
2. Access Board
3. Administration for Children & Families (ACF)
4. Administration on Aging
5. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP)
6. African Development Foundation
7. Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)
8. Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry
9. Agriculture, Dept of (USDA)
10. Air Force, Dept of
11. Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB)
12. Alternative Agricultural Research & Commercializat
13. American Battle Monuments Commission
14. Appalachian Regional Commission
15. Architect of the Capitol (AOC)
16. Architectural & Transportation Barriers Compliance
17. Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers)
18. Army, Dept of (Other)
19. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization
20. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives
21. Bureau of Arms Control
22. Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services (BCIS
23. Bureau of Economic Analysis
24. Bureau of Engraving & Printing
25. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
26. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
27. Bureau of Justice Assistance
28. Bureau of Justice Statistics
29. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
30. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
31. Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
32. Bureau of Reclamation
33. Bureau of Transportation Statistics
34. Bureau of the Census
35. Bureau of the Public Debt
36. Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
37. Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
38. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
39. Commerce, Dept of (DOC)
40. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
41. Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
42. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
43. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
44. Corporation for Natl & Community Service
45. Corporation for Public Broadcasting
46. Corrections Program Office
47. Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)
48. Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
49. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
50. Defense Business Transformation Agency (BTA)
51. Defense Commissary Agency
52. Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)
53. Defense Department Field Activities
54. Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS)
55. Defense Information Systems Agency
56. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
57. Defense Investigative Service (DIS)
58. Defense Legal Services Agency
59. Defense Logistics Agency
60. Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
61. Defense Security Assistance Agency
62. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
63. Defense Special Weapons Agency
64. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
65. Defense, Dept of (DOD)
66. Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
67. Drug Court Program Office
68. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
69. Economic Development Administration
70. Education, Dept of
71. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
72. Employment & Training Administration
73. Employment Standards Administration
74. Energy, Dept of
75. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
76. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
77. Executive Office of the President (EOP)
78. Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank
79. Farm Credit Administration
80. Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB
81. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
82. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
83. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
84. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
85. Federal Election Commission (FEC)
86. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
87. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
88. Federal Highway Administration (FHA)
89. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)
90. Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA)
91. Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
92. Federal Management Service
93. Federal Maritime Commission
94. Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service
95. Federal Mine Safety Health Review Commission (FMSH
96. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
97. Federal Railroad Administration
98. Federal Reserve System
99. Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
100. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
101. Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
102. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)
103. Financial Management Service (FMS)
104. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
105. General Services Administration (GSA)
106. Ginnie Mae
107. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
108. Government Printing Office (GPO)
109. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
110. Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)
111. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)
112. Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS)
113. Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD)
114. Indian Health Service
115. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
116. Inter-American Foundation
117. Interior, Dept of (DOI)
118. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
119. Intl Trade Administration (ITA)
120. Job Corps
121. Joint Chiefs of Staff
122. Justice, Dept of (DOJ)
123. Labor, Dept of (DOL)
124. Legal Services Corporation
125. Library of Congress (LOC)
126. Marine Mammal Commission
127. Maritime Administration (MARAD)
128. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)
129. Merit Systems Protection Board
130. Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA)
131. Mine Safety & Health Review Commission
132. Minerals Management Service
133. Minority Business Development Agency
134. Natl Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
135. Natl Archives & Records Administration (NARA)
136. Natl Bioethics Advisory Commission
137. Natl Capital Planning Commission (NCPC)
138. Natl Council on Disability
139. Natl Credit Union Administration (NCUA)
140. Natl Economic Council (NEC)
141. Natl Endowment for the Arts
142. Natl Endowment for the Humanities
143. Natl Foundation on the Arts & Humanities
144. Natl Geospatial Intelligence Agency
145. Natl Guard
146. Natl Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
147. Natl Indian Gaming Commission
148. Natl Institute of Justice
149. Natl Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
150. Natl Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)
151. Natl Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAA
152. Natl Institutes of Health (NIH)
153. Natl Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
154. Natl Mediation Board
155. Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
156. Natl Park Service (NPS)
157. Natl Science Foundation (NSF)
158. Natl Security Agency (NSA)
159. Natl Security Council (NSC)
160. Natl Technical Information Service
161. Natl Telecommunications & Information Administrati
162. Natl Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
163. Navy, Dept of
164. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
165. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
166. Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission
167. Office for Victims of Crime
168. Office of Administration
169. Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives
170. Office of Government Ethics (OGE)
171. Office of Justice Program
172. Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Preventio
173. Office of Management & Budget (OMB)
174. Office of Natl AIDS Policy
175. Office of Natl Drug Control Policy (NDCP)
176. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
177. Office of Policy Development
178. Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP)
179. Office of Special Counsel
180. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement
181. Office of Technology Policy (OTP)
182. Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS)
183. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
184. Office of the Secretary of Defense
185. Office of the Vice President of the United States
186. Office on Violence Against Women
187. On-Site Inspection Agency
188. Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC)
189. Panama Canal Commission
190. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO)
191. Peace Corps
192. Pension & Welfare Benefits Administration
193. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
194. Pentagon Force Protection Agency
195. Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administrati
196. Postal Rate Commission
197. Postal Regulatory Commission
198. President of the U.S.
199. Program Support Center
200. Railroad Retirement Board
201. Research & Special Programs Administration
202. Risk Management Agency
203. SENATE
204. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)
205. Selective Service System
206. Small Business Administration (SBA)
207. Smithsonian Institution
208. Social Security Administration (SSA)
209. St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
210. State Justice Institute
211. State, Dept of (DOS)
212. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administr
213. Surface Transportation Board (STB)
214. Technology Administration
215. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
216. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
217. Transportation, Dept of (DOT)
218. Treasury, Dept of
219. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
220. U.S. Architectural & Transportation Barriers Compl
221. U.S. Arms Control & Disarmament Agency
222. U.S. Botanic Garden
223. U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board
224. U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
225. U.S. Commission of Fine Arts
226. U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
227. U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
228. U.S. Copyright Office
229. U.S. Customs & Border Protection
230. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS)
231. U.S. Forest Service
232. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
233. U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE)
234. U.S. Information Agency (USIA)
235. U.S. Institute of Peace
236. U.S. International Development Cooperation Agency
237. U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)
238. U.S. Marines
239. U.S. Marshals Service
240. U.S. Mint
241. U.S. Natl Central Bureau – Intl Criminal Police Or
242. U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
243. U.S. Secret Service
244. U.S. Trade & Development Agency (USTDA)
245. U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
246. UNDETERMINED
247. USA Freedom Corps
248. Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)
249. Veterans Employment & Training Service
250. Vice President of the U.S.
251. Voice of America
252. White House Office
253. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms (ATF)
254. Trade & Development Agency (TDA)
255. Small Business Adminstration (SBA)
256. Federal Housing Finance Board (FHFB)
257. Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC)
258. Agency for Health Care Policy & Research
259. Office of Juvenile Justice & Deliquency Prevention
260. Bureau of Export Administration
261. Mine Safey & Health Review Commission
262. Ballistic Missle Defense Organization
263. Violence Against Women Program
264. Joint Service Schools
265. U.S. Commission on International Religous Freedom
266. Defense Finance & Accounting Agency (DFAS)
267. Job Corps

With Daily Lobbying Data, you’ll receive a lobbying report and the dataset behind it each morning telling you the exact companies and organizations that lobby, how much they spend on it, what type of contract they’ve submitted, and the exact issues and bills they’ve lobbied on.

The daily reports, presented in newsletter format, can sometimes offer an overwhelming amount of information. The number of pages in the daily pdf directly reflects the volume of lobbying contracts submitted each day. Sometimes, that number can extend the daily tables to over 4,000 pages. The average, however, lies around 30 pages.

The information provided in the daily reports is designed to be skimmed and absorbed in just under 5 minutes each day – you don’t need to actually read every page in the daily lobbying reports to draw useful insights from them.

Here’s a quick guide to get you started on using Daily Lobbying Data and how we personally use the reports to invest in stocks:

There are 9 tables in total:

1. All weekly lobbying activity
2. All weekly lobbying activity for contracts with specific issues
3. Daily Expenditure throughout 2021
4. – 9. Lobbying Activity for contracts that lobbied the White House, FDA, CMS, HHS, Treasury, & DoD

Step-by-Step on how to get the most out of LobbyStocks (approx. 5 minute process each morning):

1. (2 minute process): Look through the first table, which is the “master” table and will show you all of the companies & organizations they are lobbying, what lobbying firms they hired, the type of contract, and the approximate amount they spent on lobbying services.
   • “Master” table means that all lobbying contracts on the subsequent tables can be found on this table.
2. (3 minute process): Next, If any company you saw on the first table interested you and is publicly traded (ex: “Apple Inc.”), hit command+f or ctrl+f on the PDF to find that company on table 2, which will tell you the lobbying firm hired, the type of contract, and the specific issues lobbied on.
   • This table is the most important one, and the Specific Issue section tells you WHY companies have been lobbying.
3. We tend to ignore table 3 when using LobbyStocks for investment purposes.
   • Typically, this table is used by reporters/journalists to cover statistics on lobbying.
4. (2 minute process, optional): Occasionally, its also a good idea to see if the company you found in table 1 and table 2 showed up on the government agency tables. If Apple Inc., for example, reported lobbying the White House, FDA, or DoD, lobbying could be a great indicator on what the company is planning for the future.
5. After figuring out if a company on your watchlist has lobbied and after reading the reasons for why they lobbied, how much they spent on it, and which government agencies they contacted in the process,  it is still important to conduct your own due-diligence in deciding if a company is a worthwhile investment opportunity. Lobbying Data is a useful tool and powerful signal for a company’s future performance, but also only one piece of the puzzle to guide you on your investment journey.

Every subscriber to Daily Lobbying Data will receive updates to their subscriptions in the future – these can come in the form of additional tables, issue trackers, online sentiment trackers, and more.

To request additional tables for your subscription, please email neil.bhatia@lobbyingdata.com your request.

For a 14-Day Free Trial of Daily Lobbying Data, please go to https://www.lobbyingdata.com/product/14-day-free-trial/