A bill that would require retiring legislators wait a year before they can work as lobbyists died again. Its sponsors plan to introduce it again next year.

By Annie Pulley, THE BADGER PROJECT

For the fourth time in the last decade, a handful of lawmakers in Madison are proposing a bill to prevent former state legislators from lobbying for a year after they leave office. It almost certainly won’t pass this year, but might hint at what Democrats plan to do next year if they flip the state Legislature.

The bill will almost certainly die again this year because the state Assembly has gone home. The retiring Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) announced that Feb. 20 would be the chamber’s last workday before adjourning for campaign season. The next session begins in January 2027. 

A spokesperson for state Rep. Mike Bare (D-Verona), who is one of the bill’s authors, said the speaker and governor have hinted at a special session to reach a deal on property taxes, but the session probably wouldn’t focus on other pending legislation like the lobbying bill.

The proposed legislation is meant to ensure state legislators work for their constituents rather than court outside organizations willing to pay a premium for their influence, connections and expertise, say its Democratic sponsors. 

“We’re here to represent our voters, our constituents, not the lobbyists,” Bare, himself a former lobbyist, said in an interview with The Badger Project. “And we shouldn’t be soliciting job offers, campaign contributions or anything from lobbyists that influences our work here and that would violate the trust that voters put in us.”

The one-year “cooling off period” proposed in the bill is modeled after federal law, which requires retiring U.S. House members wait a year and former U.S. senators wait two before working as a lobbyist, Bare said.

On the federal level, 25% of congressional representatives and 29% of senators later register as lobbyists, according to research published last year in an academic journal. Lobbying salaries are large, and former legislators often make more in the profession than those without a political background, insiders say.

Wisconsin law does prohibit other state officeholders from becoming lobbyists immediately after they leave. But as they did with public records retention requirements, state legislators exempted themselves. Bare said the loophole was a way for state legislators, who write the laws, to protect themselves.

Similar reform bills failed in 2016, 2018 and 2020. The first two bills were bipartisan, and the 2020 bill was introduced by Republican legislators. The latest Assembly bill has two Republican co-sponsors – state Reps. Dean Kaufart (R-Neenah) and Ron Tusler (R-Harrison). Neither responded to requests for comment. Seventeen Democrats signed onto it.

State Sen. Sarah Keyeski (D-Lodi) and Bare are spearheading this newest attempt at the lobbying ban. This is not the first attempt, and it won’t be the last, Keyeski and Bare said. It often takes multiple sessions for a bill to make it across the finish line, Bare said. 

Wisconsin Democrats hope to take full control of state government in the elections this year, which would be the first time since 2011.

“If we want to be true public servants, we have to be willing to serve the public better,” Keyeski said in an interview. “And this is part of that.” 

Bare told The Badger Project that he has also tried to attach the lobbying prohibition as an amendment to other bills. The majority carefully avoided a vote on it, however. 

“We’re just trying anywhere we can to get a vote on the record on this,” Bare said. 

Bare — who lobbied for a nonprofit in Milwaukee dedicated to preventing and reducing poverty before he made the move to elected office — said he was inspired to push for the bill in light of his past career as an aide for former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, who was pivotal in reforming federal lobbying law in the early 2000s. 

Bare went from lobbying to legislating, but many Wisconsin lawmakers have done the reverse.

Jim Steineke, a Republican, served in the state Assembly for nearly 12 years, rising to the position of Majority Leader. He is now a partner and the head of advocacy for The Welch Group, which represents clients like the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association and the Green Bay Packers.

“Jim’s background in business combined with his relationships in the legislature is an invaluable asset to The Welch Group and our clients,” his bio reads on the organization’s website.

Jennifer Schilling, now a registered lobbyist for the Mayo Clinic Health System, previously served in the state Legislature, ending her political tenure as the Democratic Minority Leader in the state Senate.

Both declined interviews for this story.

Compared to other states, Wisconsin has generally avoided major ethics scandals, Bare said, but the country is entering a new era of billionaires exercising incredible influence on politics. It’s important the state takes a proactive approach, he said.

“We in Wisconsin have this very long history of good, open, clean government,” Bare said. “We’ve been ahead of this. And we gotta continue to stay ahead.”

The Badger Project is an independent, reader-supported news org in Wisconsin.