How to become federalized without trying
For years the Legislature and the Administration have been debating the merits of hiring the Preston Gates lobbying firm, or any other lobbying firm, in Washington D.C. as our representative in our battle to maintain control of immigration and minimum wage as well as other vital key interests to the CNMI. In the Legislature, some members advocate the decision and others decry the money spent as being wasted. But what is a lobbyist and what does he do? Would the CNMI be better off without a lobbying firm, or is one vital?
According to Grolier’s Encyclopedia, a lobbyist is a person or a firm who attempts to influence legislators in favor of special-interest groups. The word was originally used in the 1803’s to describe persons who frequented the lobbies of U.S. buildings, particularly those of federal and state governments, and talked with legislators. These interest groups are positioned between voters and politicians. They represent people, businesses, and governments who have joined together to lobby for a narrow set of interests or issues.
Among the hundreds of thousands of lobbying firms both on a state and national level, some of the most powerful are the National Rifle Association, which defends the right of citizens to bear arms; the Iron and Steel Institute which attempts to limit steel imports; the American Medical Association which lobbies against government regulation of medicine; and the tobacco industry which seeks favorable legislature for its industry.
U.S. garment manufacturers along with trade unions are a powerful and vocal group as
