The bill does not go far enough, most seriously because it fails to give auditing power to the commission that oversees the lobbying industry.

And I think the lobbying industry are hoping that this voluntary register will actually take its place.

The strong local economy that is driving record city surpluses is also helping the lobbying industry.

The professional lobbying industry has been rapidly growing since the mid-1990s and in 2007 was estimated to be worth £1.9 billion, employing 14,000 people.

And far past time for Congress to clean up the lobbying industry and itself.

No one spent such an enormous amount on a targeted ad campaign this year, yet the lobbying industry continued to grow.

For the moment, the only certain winner in this struggle to offer justice to asbestos victims is Washington's lobbying industry.

Since it often takes a long time to build the network of relationships within the lobbying industry, ethical interpersonal dealings are important.

This view is shared by players in the lobbying industry.

But the proposals ran into serious opposition from various groups including the lobbying industry itself.