Lobbying is the constitutionally protected right to petition government, but it has become a $4-billion-per-year industry concentrated among well-funded interests. The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 and the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 created the current registration and disclosure regime, but critics argue the thresholds for registration are easy to evade (the "Daschle loophole" for "strategic advisers" who don't formally lobby).
Reform proposals include closing the 20%-of-time loophole that exempts most strategic advisers, lengthening cooling-off periods for former Members and senior staff, banning lobbyist contributions to clients' legislators, and requiring real-time disclosure of lobbying contacts.
The right to petition the government is constitutional; the question is what disclosure and structural rules best balance access with transparency.