Lobbying and congressional bill advancement

Interest groups often attempt to influence congressional legislation through lobbying. We study more than 17 000 bills introduced in both houses of the 106th and 107th Congresses, including more than 3500 associated with reported lobbying. We analyze the determinants of interest group lobbying on particular bills and provide initial tests of the relationship between lobbying and the advancement of legislation through committee and floor passage. We find that the incidence and amount of interest group lobbying is associated with majority party sponsorship, extensive co-sponsorship and high-profile issues. Lobbying is also associated with whether bills advance through committee and each chamber, independent of congressional factors typically associated with bill advancement.