Lobbying reports show K Street is off to a strong start in 2023 – JP

K Street interests expect a big year in 2023, with several key bills coming up for votes, including the National Defense Authorization Act, the farm bill, reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration and the battles over raising the debt limit setting spending levels.

“With mixed control, there’s a potential narrative that not a whole lot is getting done, and I think what we’ve seen this quarter is a very good amount of activity,” said Karishma Page, who leads the public policy and law practice at K&L Gates. The firm reported $5.5 million in revenue for the first quarter, compared with $5.3 million in the final quarter of 2022 and $5.2 million in the first quarter of 2022. 

“It may be there isn’t a lot of day-to-day legislative activity, but we have some pretty significant must-do packages this year and we’re seeing stakeholders engaging, educating policymakers and socializing issues. So when those vehicles like debt limit, federal funding, national defense authorization or farm bill are ready, the issues are prepared and ready to go,” Page said.

The full reopening of the Capitol after the pandemic is also fueling lobbying activity. “There’s a lot of energy around that as well,” Page said. “We are seeing a return to those in-person meetings on the Hill.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, typically a big spender on lobbying, once again reported spending more during the quarter, $18.7 million, than any other group filing disclosure reports. In 2022, the chamber shelled out $79.4 million for lobbying.