Guide to State Legislative Lobbying 3rd Ed (2007)
by Robert L. Guyer

Guide to State Legislative Lobbying was written to increase your chances of winning in your legislature or state assembly. Packed into 240 pages are practical experience, tips, and a systematic approach to state and local legislative campaigning, including:
  • Constitutional, Judicial, and Historical Bases
  • Assessing Your Chances of Success
  • Developing the Lobbying Campaign
  • Hiring and Working with Contract Lobbyists
  • Negotiation
  • Legislative Procedure
  • Lobbying Visits to Legislators and Staff
  • Succeeding with Legislative Committees
  • The Rest of the Session and Post-Session
  • 10 flow charts
  • IRS Letter Confirming that Charities May Lobby
  • How Working in Election Campaigns Can Help Achieve Lobbying Goals
  • Annotated Suggested Other Readings
  • 25 Fundamentals for Successful State Lobbying
  • Agenda for 2-day Lobbyist Training Seminar
  • Glossary of commonly used legislative terms
Purchase Guide to State Legislative Lobbying

The Third Edition (2007) of Guide to State Legislative Lobbying expands upon several key elements from earlier editions. 501(c)(3) charitable organizations will find more help to protect their IRS tax-exempt status. Material has been added to help readers, especially charitable organizations, to answer two often avoided legal questions: Is my legislative activity "lobbying" per state statute and, if so, must I register as a lobbyist and thus conform to state ethics laws? State statutes define that conduct that qualifies statutorily as "lobbying" regardless of one's preferring to call actions "educating" or "informing" or "just visting."

Working in election campaigns can be a valuable way to influence lawmakers. We have added a new section that helps to answer the question, "Can working in an election campaign help me achieve my legislative goals?" Coauthored with election campaign manager Roger Austin, we offer suggestions on answering key questions including: Why work in an election campaign? Which candidate should I work for? What kind of support can be given? What can I do for the candidate? What is the value of my face time with the candidate and his or her family and staff? What are the rewards of working as a campaign volunteer?

"Effective Lobbying is Getting Votes" subtitled "25 Fundamentals for Successful State Lobbying" lists 25 truths about state lobbying including; Facts don't vote; 80-90 per cent of the legislature is irrelevant to the success or failure of your bill; and effective lobbying rests upon your complying with three sets of rules: 1) written 2) unwritten and 3) unwritten and unspoken - violate any of the various rules and your credibilty suffers.

The 3rd edition of Guide to State Legislative Lobbying is now an even surer source of dependable advice, skills, techniques and strategies for reliable guidance for novices as well as experienced lobbyists.

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Workbook for Introducing The Campaign Method for More Effective State Government Affairs (2009)

Exclusively on this website Guide to State Legislative Lobbying is now on sale for $22.50 per copy a savings of 60% from list price.

Johns Hopkins used Guide to State Legislative Lobbying for Prof. Ron Phillips' Winter 2010 DC lobbying class.

Florida State University is using the Guide for Fall 2010 course POS 4851 in Applied American Politics.

"Bob Guyer's course contributed substantially to my lifelong study of advocacy and was the best CLE accredited course that I have taken, bar none, in my 39 years as a government relations consultant."
Ron Kuehn
DeWitt Ross & Stevens, S.C.
Madison, WI
(2010)

"Robert L. Guyer's seminar on the Campaign Method to effective state advocacy was, perhaps, the best professional development experience of my career. Utilizing the Campaign Method, our membership secured passage of legislation that placed Ohio’s ESCs firmly at the center of regional education delivery and preserved our funding appropriation during a difficult economic downturn. I highly recommend Bob Guyer."
Craig Burford, Executive Director
Ohio Educational Service Centers Association
Columbus, OH
(2010)

“I often travel across the country to lobby various state legislatures. Robert Guyer’s Lobby School gave me the added confidence and competitive advantage that I needed when advocating on issues. His campaign-style approach to lobbying helps break the art of lobbying into a common sense process. Whether you’re an old pro or just starting out, Bob Guyer’s Lobby School will prove invaluable for your career”.
Nate Filler, Manager
State Government Relations
Cardinal Health
Dublin, OH
(2010)

Campaign Method Brochure (2009)

Annotated Reading List for Lobbying Practitioners (2009)

Fun, Instructive, and Interesting Lobbying "War" Stories (2009)

Have a good lobbying story? Send it to me for the instruction or humor for all of us practicing the profession.


Sample Lobbying Fundamentals (2009)
by Robert L. Guyer

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