Lobbyists a growing influence

CARSON CITY -- Every morning a sea of men and women in navy blue suits descends on the Nevada Assembly Building to do the bidding of its clients.

They mingle in the lunchroom or legislative corridors hoping to buttonhole lawmakers.

They are lobbyists.

In election years they help dole out campaign contributions for Nevada's various special interests. During legislative years they manage a more valuable resource: information.

Lobbyists have always wielded a lot of influence in Carson City, but this year some say their power has grown.

In November Nevada voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that limits the legislative session to 120 days. Past sessions have usually been about 170 days.

"We are a lot busier now than we have been in the past," Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, said. "That means we don't have as much time to do our own research and we are more reliant on lobbyists for information. We don't always have the time to find out how accurate the information is."

Another effect of the shorter session is that there is less time for committees to hear testimony, she said, giving lobbyists even more sway.

"It really bothers me that ordinary citizens who come up to testify aren't given much time to speak. But lobbyists continue to have access. They know how to contact legislators after meetings and provide information," Giunchigliani said. "In my opinion, the influence of lobbyists has increased at the expense of the general public."

Harvey Whittemore, considered one of the state's most powerful lobbyists, said he doesn't believe that is the case.

"Most committee chairmen are very reluctant to cut off the testimony of citizens who are testifying," Whittemore, who represents the powerful Nevada Resort Association, said. "But they aren't at all reluctant to cut off the testimony of lobbyists. I think a case can be made for us having less influence this year than in previous sessions."

Michael Bowers, a political science professor at UNLV, doesn't see it that way.

Bowers contends that the influence of lobbyists is growing in part because of the shorter legislative session.

The influence of lobbyists will continue to grow, Bowers said, because of a constitutional amendment passed in 1996 that establishes term limits for legislators.

"Basically, we are talking about a double-whammy here. The shorter session means legislators don't always have time to read all of the bills before them or do all their research. They now rely more on lobbyists to provide that information. The term limits will mean that legislators will not develop the expertise over time that they ordinarily would have.

"Lobbyists will have a lot of the knowledge and background legislators need," he said. "And knowledge is power."

There are 63 legislators in Carson City and 938 registered lobbyists, according to the state's lobbyist registration office.

"The power of the lobbyists just keeps growing and growing," Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, said. "There are more lobbyists here for gaming than there are senators. That's just not right.

"With this shorter session, you are really pushing to get information. That's where the lobbyists come in. But there isn't always time to check out the information that lobbyists are giving you."

Another result of the shorter session is that committee chairmen are asking lobbyists who testify on opposite sides of a bill to draft compromise legislation, Neal said.

"Where is the public's role in that?" he said. "They (the public) aren't taking place in those discussions. We are elected by the public. But we aren't taking part in those discussions."

That new role for lobbyists is one Dan Musgrove, a lobbyist for the city of Las Vegas, agrees has been given to him and his peers.

"In past sessions, (legislators) might have debated a bill more in the committee and reached a compromise there. Now chairmen will say to lobbyists on both sides, 'Go out in the hallway and reach a compromise.'

"With this shorter session, there just isn't the time for a lot of committee debate," he said. "So I guess in that sense, the influence of lobbyists has grown."

The crucial nature of information this session and the need to get it quickly has both legislators and lobbyists scrambling, Assemblyman Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas, said.

"It is not just legislators fighting to get information. Lobbyists are fighting to get the information, too," he said. "I may request some information from a lobbyist and then he has to go to his client for it. He may not get the information back before the committee has taken action on the bill. That's just a reality in this shorter session."

Carole Villardo, a lobbyist for the Nevada Taxpayers Association, said younger, less experienced legislators are more likely to be reliant on information from lobbyists.

"You have a lot of very experienced legislators here. They have dealt with these issues for many years and don't need the help of the lobbyists to get up to speed on certain bills," she said.

Neal believes the power and influence of lobbyists will continue to grow because of the term limits imposed by voters in 1996 through a constitutional amendment.

Legislators may serve no more than 12 years in one house. The clock began running on term limits in 1996. Legislative service prior to then does not count toward the limit.

"Legislators will only be here for a few years. But lobbyists will be here for many years," he said. "They will be the ones who remember how things were done."

Bowers said population growth within the state has contributed to the increased dependence on lobbyists.

"Twenty-five years ago most Nevadans knew their legislators. But we were a much smaller state then," he said. "As the state has grown, more groups have felt the need to hire lobbyists because they no longer personally know their legislators."

In 1974 the state had about 600,000 people. The population now is about 1.8 million, according to the Center for Business and Economic Research at UNLV.

Whittemore, a Reno lawyer, has been lobbying for 20 years.

He is dismissive of the idea that lobbyists are particularly powerful.

"We don't have any power. We don't vote on the bills," Whittemore said as he slid a hand down the jacket of his navy, double-breasted suit and glanced down a corridor where legislators mingled. "As far as influence goes, I guess that is a question you'll have to ask other people -- not me. Am I influential?"

"With this shorter session, there just isn't the time for a lot of committee debate. So I guess in that sense, the influence of lobbyists has grown."Dan MusgroveCITY OF LAS VEGAS LOBBYIST

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